REPORT 


I  S 


T 


OBERT  T.  DEVLIN 

President  of  the  State  Board  of  Prison  Directors  of  California, 


OX    VARIOUS 


REFORMATORY  AND  PENAL  INSTITUTIONS 


UNITED  STATES. 


STATE    OFFICE, 


8ACRAMENTO: 

:     :     :     :    J.    D.    YOUNG,    SUPT.    STATE    PRINTING. 

1890. 


EEPORT 


ROBERT  T.  DEVLIN, 

President  of  the  State  Board  of  Prison  Directors  of  California, 


ON  VARIOUS 


REFORMATORY  AND  PENAL  INSTITUTIONS 


UNITED  STATES. 


SACRAMENTO: 

STATE  OFFICE,  :   :   :   :  j.  D.  YOUNG,  SUPT.  STATE  PRINTING. 

1890. 


CONTENTS. 


PART   I. 

REFORM    OR    INDUSTRIAL    SCHOOLS. 

PAGE. 

General  view - 4 

Different  plans  of  management 3 

Cottage  or  family  plan T 5 

Boys'  Industrial  School  of  Ohio 6 

Connecticut  State  Reform  School 8 

Industrial  School,  Kearney,  Nebraska 21 

Illinois  State  Reform  School  . 25 

Indiana  Reform  School  for  Boys 28 

Cincinnati  House  of  Refuge 29 

eo     Pennsylvania  Reform  School 31 

en    House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia 33 

„    Lyman  School  for  Boys 36 

as.     Reform  School  of  the  District  of  Columbia 37 

as    Minnesota  State  Reform  School 40 

~    Buildings ..- 41 

JEZ    Superintendent — 42 

PART  II. 

REFORMATORIES    OR    INTERMEDIATE    PRISONS. 

Pennsylvania  Industrial  Reformatory 43 

New  York  State  Reformatory  at  Elmira 45 

Indiana  Reformatory  Institution  for  Women  and  Girls 55 


PART  III. 

STATE    PRISONS. 

Ohio  Penitentiary , 57 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary 66 

Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania 97 

State  Penitentiary  for  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania 99 

Massachusetts  State  Prison 153 


REPORT. 


To  the  State  Board  of  Prison  Directors  of  California: 

Having  been  authorized  by  you,  far  the  purpose  of  maturing  the 
system  of  government,  instruction,  and  discipline  of  the  Preston  School 
of  Industry,  to  be  located  at  or  near  lone,  Amador  County,  to  visit  aimi- 
lar  institutions  in  practical  operation  and  of  the  best  repute,  and  by 
personal  inspection  and  investigation  to  acquire  an  insight  into  the 
principles  and  workings  thereof  for  the  information  and  benefit  of  the 
Board,  I  now  submit  the  following  report. 

I  visited  and  carefully  examined  the  management  of  the  following 
named  industrial,  reformatory,  and  penal  institutions:  Connecticut 
State  Reform  School,  at  Meriden;  Boys'  Industrial  School  of  Ohio,  at 
Lancaster;  Illinois  State  Reform  School,  at  Pontiac;  State  Industrial 
School  for  Juvenile  Offenders  of  Nebraska,  at  Kearney;  House  of 
Refuge,  at  Philadelphia;  House  of  Correction,  at  Chicago;  Pennsylvania 
Reform  School,  at  Morganza;  Lyman  School  for  Boys,  at  Westborough, 
Massachusetts;  Reform  School  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  at  Wash- 
ington; Indiana  Reform  School  for  Boys,  at  Plainfield;  Pennsylvania 
Industrial  Reformatory,  at  Huntingdon;  Cincinnati  House  of  Refuge;  Illi- 
nois State  Penitentiary,  at  Joliet;  Massachusetts  State  Prison,  at  Charles- 
town;  Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania,  at  Allegheny  City;  Ohio 
Penitentiary,  at  Columbus;  New  York  State  Reformatory,  at  Elmira;  State 
Penitentiary  for  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  at  Philadelphia;  In- 
diana Reformatory  Institution  for  Women  and  Girls,  at  Indianapolis; 
Minnesota  State  Reform  School,  at  St.  Paul;  besides  the  City  Prison  of 
New  York,  known  as  the  "Tombs;"  the  prison  at  Blackwell's  Island, 
New  York,  and  some  other  public  institutions  for  the  care  of  the  insane. 

I  also  conferred  with  such  persons  as  I  was  able  to  meet  who  had  given 
particular  attention  to  reformatory  institutions. 

For  the  purpose  of  securing  an  orderly  arrangement,  I  shall  divide 
this  report  into  three  main  heads,  the  first  devoted  to  the  consideration 
of  industrial  or  reform  schools;  the  second  to  the  subject  of  reformato- 
ries; and  the  third  to  State  Prisons. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


PART   I. 
Reform  or  Industrial  Schools. 


GENERAL    VIEW. 


The  Act  creating  the  Preston  School  of  Industry  provides  that  "the 
Board  shall  cause  to  be  organized  and  maintained  a  department  of 
instruction  for  the  inmates  of  said  school,  with  a  course  of  study  cor- 
responding as  far  as  practicable  with  the  course  of  study  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  State,  but  the  course  shall  not  be  higher  than  the  course 
prescribed  in  grammar  schools.  They  shall  adopt  a  system  of  govern- 
ment, embracing  such  laws  and  regulations  as  are  necessary  for  the 
guidance  of  the  officers  and  employes,  for  the  regulation  of  the  hours  of 
study  and  labor,  for  the  preservation  of  order,  for  the  enforcement  of 
discipline,  for  the  preservation  of  health,  and  for  the  industrial  training 
of  the  inmates.  The  ultimate  purpose  of  all  such  instruction,  discipline, 
and  industries  shall  be  to  qualify  the  inmates  for  honorable  and  profit- 
able employment,  rather  than  to  make  the  institution  self-sustaining." 

The  Act  also  provides  that  the  school  "  shall  be  conducted  on  such 
plan  as  to  the  Board  may  seem  best  calculated  to  carry  out  the  inten- 
tions of  this  Act,  and  its  inmates  shall  be  subject  to  military  discipline, 
including  daily  drill.  They  shall  be  clothed  in  military  uniform  of  such 
pattern  and  material  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Board,  but  under  no 
circumstances  shall  such  inmates  be  clothed  in  convict  stripes  while 
undergoing  commitment  in  said  school." 

Boys  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  eighteen  may  be  committed  to  the 
school  for  a  period  not  exceeding  the  time  when  they  shall  attain  major- 
ity, and  the  Board  may  make  rules  reducing  for  good  conduct  the  time 
for  which  a  boy  is  committed.  Whenever  the  Board  may  consider  an 
inmate  sufficiently  reformed  to  justify  his  reward,  they  may  give  him 
an  honorable  dismissal.  The  Board  has  power  to  issue  certificates  of 
conditional  dismissal  and  parole  to  any  worthy  boy,  on  the  condition 
that  it  binds  him  by  articles  of  indenture  to  some  suitable  person  who 
will  engage  to  educate  him  and  instruct  him  in  some  useful  art  or  trade. 
It  also  has  power  to  return  him  to  his  parents  or  to  place  him  under  the 
care  of  a  reputable  citizen  and  resident  of  this  State,  bound  to  the  Board 
with  sufficient  sureties  for  the  proper  care,  education,  and  moral  and 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  5 

i 

industrial  training  of  such  boy.  For  a  violation  of  the  parole  the  boy 
may  be  returned  to  the  school,  or  if  received  from  a  State  Prison  may 
be  returned  to  the  latter.  But  if  the  parole  be  properly  observed  he 
shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  immunities  as  if  he  had  been  discharged 
from  the  institution.  If  a  boy  be  found  to  be  incorrigible  he  may  be 
returned  to  the  Court  by  which  he  was  committed,  and  the  Court  may 
enter  such  judgment  as  it  had  power  to  make  at  the  time  of  the  com- 
mitment. Any  boy  undergoing  sentence  for  less  than  life,  in  either  of 
the  State  Prisons,  who  may  be  deemed  a  fit  subject  for  training  in  the 
school,  may,  upon  recommendation  of  the  Board,  with  the  approval  of 
the  Governor,  be  transferred  to  the  school  for  the  unexpired  period  of 
his  sentence,  and  when  honorably  discharged  shall  be  entitled  to  the 
same  immunities  as  any  other  inmate  may  have. 
These  are  the  main  features  of  the  school.  - 

DIFFERENT   PLANS   OF    MANAGEMENT. 

The  question  as  to  best  methods  to  be  followed  for  the  reformation  of 
juvenile  offenders,  has  provoked  much  discussion  and  differences  of  opin- 
ion. Formerly  these  schools  were  of  a  penal  character,  in  which  the 
guarding  and  custody  of  the  inmates  were  considered  to  be  the  main 
objects  desired.  At  an  early  day  many  of  these  institutions  were 
located  in  the  heart  of  growing  cities,  and  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to 
secure  the  inmates,  that  the  buildings  should  be  strongly  built  and  sur- 
rounded by  high  walls  to  prevent  escapes.  Institutions  managed  in 
this  way,  on  what  we  may  call  the  congregate  plan,  offered  some  advan- 
tages, and  at  the  same  time  were  open  to  several  objections.  By  placing 
a  large  number  beneath  one  roof,  the  cost  of  maintenance  was  lessened. 

But  the  main  object  of  a  reform  school  is  to  develop  character,  to  train 
for  a  useful  life,  as  well  as  to  safely  guard.  These  schools  were  found 
in  some  way  to  be  defective  in  accomplishing  all  that  was  hoped  from 
them  in  the  way  of  reforming  or  improving  a  boy. 

^  THE   COTTAGE   OR   FAMILY    PLAN. 

The  great  defect  in  institutions  managed  on  the  congregate  plan  was 
that  they  lacked  the  influences  of  family  life.  This  led  to  the  adoption 
of  what  is  known  as  the  cottage  plan.  The  inmates  under  this  system 
are  divided  into  classes,  according  to  size  and  form,  forty  to  fifty  being 
placed  in  a  cottage,  although  Mr.  Chapin,  Superintendent  of  the  school  at 
Westborough,  Massachusetts,  advised  that  to  attain  the  best  results  not 
more  than  twenty-five  should  be  placed  in  one  building.  Schools  managed 
on  this  plan  may  be  differently  managed,  as  different  private  homes  are 


6  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

managed.  But  the  nearer  an  approach  to  home  life  is  made,  the  more 
is  perfection  of  management  attained.  In  the  words  of  a  gentleman 
who  has  given  much  thought  to  the  subject:  "The  internal  system  of 
the  reformatory  school  should  be,  as  nearly  as  practicable,  that  of  the 
family,  with  its  refining  and  elevating  influences;  while  awakening  of 
the  conscience  and  the  inculation  of  religious  principles  should  be  pri- 
mary aims.  Perhaps  a  boy  enters  the  school  feeling  that  the  hand  of 
every  man  is  against  him,  and  with  revenge  in  his  heart;  but  let  him 
there  find  a  corps  of  just  but  merciful  guides  ready  to  teach  him  and 
help  him  and  love  him,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  he  will  soon 
be  actuated  by  better  feelings  and  nobler  resolves.  The  school  should 
be  thorough  in  all  its  methods,  and  aim  to  impart  a  plain  education, 
and  also  give  instruction  in  mechanical  drawing.  Every  boy  should  be 
instructed  in  some  useful  trade  or  occupation,  and  his  wishes  consulted 
in  selecting  it." 

A  better  idea  can  be  obtained,  perhaps,  of  the  plan  of  management 
that  should  prevail  in  these  schools  by  examining  some  of  those  of  recog- 
nized merit,  individually,  than  by  entering  into  an  abstract  discussion. 
Accordingly,  I  shall  proceed  to  describe  in  detail  those  that  I  inspected. 

BOYS'   INDUSTRIAL    SCHOOL   OF   OHIO. 

The  State  of  Ohio,  in  1856,  appointed  a  Commission  to  visit  reform 
schools,  and  report  a  plan  for  the  management  of  a  reform  school  for 
that  State.  The  Commission  recommended  the  adoption  of  the  family 
or  cottage  plan,  and  finally  the  school  was  located  on  a  farm  of  twelve 
hundred  acres,  six  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Lancaster.  The  ground 
is  hilly  in  places,  with  fertile  valleys  between  the  ridges.  In  some 
places  it  breaks  into  high  rocks. 

The  buildings  consist  of  the  main  building,  ten  family  buildings, 
printing  office,  shoe,  brush,  polytechnic,  paint,  blacksmith,  carpenter, 
tailor,  and  bake  shops,  carriage,  bath,  meat,  ware,  engine,  gas,  ice,  corn, 
and  green  houses,  water  tower,  hospital,  mending-room,  knitting-room, 
and  barns. 

The  family  buildings  are  named  after  the  State  and  its  rivers,  and 
are  known  as  the  Ohio,  Hocking,  Union,  Muskingum,  Cuyahoga,  Scioto, 
Huron,  Miami,  Erie,  and  Maumee  buildings.  With  the  exception  of  a 
double  building  used  for  the  very  youngest  boys,  and  separated  from  the 
other  buildings  by  a  distance  of  half  a  mile,  all  the  buildings  are 
arranged  in  the  form  of  a  segment  of  a  circle  about  the  main  building. 

The  main  building  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  feet  in  length,  and 
consists  of  three  stories  and  basement.  The  chapel  has  a  seating 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  7 

capacity  of  six  hundred,  and  is  ninety-one  feet  in  length  by  sixty  in 
width. 

The  school  receives  boys  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  sixteen.  In 
1885  a  system  of  merits  and  demerits  was  introduced,  which  classifies 
the  inmates,  according  to  the  offense,  into  three  grades.  If  a  boy  is 
committed  on  the  charge  of  murder,  manslaughter,  obstructing  rail- 
roads, highway  robbery,  rape,  or  arson,  he  is  debited  with  seven  thousand 
demerits;  if  on  the  charge  of  assault  and  battery  with  intent,  embezzle- 
ment exceeding  $35,  burglary,  grand  larceny,  forgery,  or  perjury,  he  is 
debited  with  six  thousand  demerits;  if  on  the  charge  of  aiding  prisoners 
to  escape,  embezzlement  under  $35,  or  petit  larceny,  he  is  debited  with 
five  thousand  demerits. 

For  good  deportment  a  boy  receives  ten  merits  a  day,  and  if  he  has 
a  perfect  record  for  three  successive  months  he  is  entitled  to  three 
hundred  extra  merits.  Information  given  of  an  attempt  to  escape,  if 
the  information  proves  correct,  entitles  the  informer  to  a  reward  of 
three  hundred  merits.  When  all  the  demerits  have  been  canceled,  the 
boy  is  entitled  to  a  leave  of  absence  for  four  months,  and  if  he  continues 
to  conduct  himself  properly,  he  may  have  his  "leave  of  absence"  card 
renewed  at  the  expiration  of  every  four  months,  until  he  reaches  his 
majority.  If  he  is  guilty  of  misbehavior  while  on  leave  of  absence,  he 
is  returned  to  the  institution  and  charged  with  one  thousand  demerits 
in  addition  to  the  number  originally  debited  against  him. 

The  discipline  is  that  of  the  family,  school,  workshop,  and  farm,  and 
not  of  the  prison.  The  inmates  are  not  considered  as  prisoners  or 
criminals,  but  are  watched  over  as  pupils  in  a  public  school.  The 
rules  of  the  school  provide  that  the  food  used  shall  be  that  approved 
by  the  common  custom  of  the  country,  well  prepared.  Before  each  meal, 
grace  is  said.  No  officer  or  assistant  is  allowed  at  any  time  or  place  to 
make  use  of  liquor  as  a  beverage.  All  persons  employed  at  the  school 
are  required  to  attend  all  religious  services  on  the  Sabbath,  unless  a 
special  leave  of  absence  is  obtained  from  the  Superintendent. 

The  salaries  paid  at  this  institution  are  as  follows: 

Superintendent $100  per  month. 

Matron $33^  per  month. 

Assistant  Superintendent $70  per  month. 

Assistant  Matron $25  per  month. 

Steward $1,150  per  annum. 

Elder  Brother  and  wife.  .$45  for  husband,  $20  for  wife,  or  $65  per  month. 

Engineer $55  per  month. 

Gardener  and  florist $55  per  month. 

Shoemaker $50  per  month. 


8  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

In  addition  to  these  salaries,  the  officers  are  allowed  board,  lodging, 
stationery,  and  washing. 

The  Superintendent,  Mr.  Barrett,  said,  in  conversation,  that  he  aims 
to  feed  the  inmates  well,  as  nothing  is  made  by  any  other  course.  Bean 
dinners  are  supplied  three  days  in  each  week,  and  meat  every  day. 
Eggs  twenty-five  times  during  the  year. 

The  average  per  capita  cost  of  maintenance  is  $120  per  year.  The 
buildings  are  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by  coal  gas  manufactured  at 
the  place;  but  the  Superintendent  informed  me  that  he  considered  elec- 
tric light  preferable.  The  boys  bathe  every  Saturday.  There  is  no  dis- 
tinction among  the  boys  as  to  the  kind  of  clothing  worn  or  food  eaten. 
They  are  all,  in  these  matters,  on  an  equality. 

CONNECTICUT  STATE  REFORM  SCHOOL. 

This  school  is  situated  at  Meriden,  Connecticut,  and  is  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  G.  E.  Howe.  Mr.  Howe  had  charge  of  the  Lan- 
caster School  before  he  assumed  control  of  the  school  at  Meriden. 

I  explained  to  him  fully  what  we  hoped  to  do,  what  money  we  had 
available,  and  asked  him  to  put  himself  in  the  place  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  and  from  that  standpoint  to  give  me  his  views. 

In  reply  he  said  that  he  would  recommend  the  erection  of  four  cottages 
costing  about  $20,000  each,  and  one  administration  building,  which 
ought  to  cost  about  $60,000.  The  cottages  should  be  built  so  as  to 
accommodate  about  fifty  inmates  each.  The  administration  building 
should  have  a  department  for  boys  who  had  not  earned  their  freedom, 
and  the  part  of  the  building  devoted  to  this  purpose  should  be  made 
secure. 

In  arrangement,  the  administration  building  should  be  central  and 
the  others  should  be  erected  in  semi-cir«ular  form  around,  at  distances 
apart  from  the  main  building  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  The  chapel  should  be  a  separate  building.  The  administration 
building  should  contain  rooms  for  the  Board  of  Directors  and  apart- 
ments for  Superintendent  and  assistant,  and  also  general  bakery,  general 
laundry,  tailor  shop,  and  other  shops,  if  necessary  or  convenient. 

With  regard  to  trades  and  labor,  Mr.  Howe  thought  that  preference 
should  be  given  to  farm  labor,  as  such  work  was  well  adapted  to  effect  a 
reformation  of  the  inmates.  He  does  not  favor  the  use  of  machinery. 
Each  cottage  should  have  a  separate  workshop.  The  boys  should  be 
kept  in  school  during  three  hours  of  each  day,  and  the  remainder  of 
their  time  should  be  directed  between  labor  and  recreation.  There 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  9 

should  be  no  distinctions  in  the  matter  of  dress  or  food.  It  is  a  sufficient 
reward  that  good  conduct  will  shorten  the  term  of  the  inmate. 

Mr.  Howe  believes  that  flogging  should  not  be  altogether  dispensed 
with,  but  all  punishment  should  be  under  the  charge  of  the  Superintend- 
ent. He  prefers,  for  sleeping  purposes,  dormitories,  to  separate  rooms. 

At  Meriden,  the  Superintendent  is  the  purchasing  agent,  only  meat 
being  bought  by  contract.  Supplies  are  delivered  to  the  persons  in 
charge  of  the  cottages  every  Saturday  morning,  and  charged  up  to  them. 
The  cost  of  keeping  the  inmates  is  $150  per  capita  per  year.  And  this 
sum  covers  also  all  ordinary  repairs  to  the  buildings. 

The  buildings  of  this  school  embrace  the  original  main  building  and 
five  additional  separate  buildings.  Each  of  these  separate  buildings  or 
cottages  will  conveniently  house  about  fifty  boys.  Each  building  is  a 
miniature  institution  in  itself.  The  boys  in  each  building  constitute  a 
separate  family;  they  eat,  sleep,  and  attend  school  in  the  same  building. 
They  have  a  separate  recreation  ground,  and  do  not  mingle  with  the 
boys  in  other  families.  Each  family  is  under  the  supervision  of  three 
persons — a  man  and  his  wife  who  reside  with  the  family,  and  a  lady 
teacher,  who  also  resides  in  the  same  building.  The  buildings  have  only 
the  ordinary  fastenings,  and  are  surrounded  by  no  fence  or  inclosure  of 
any  kind.  These  buildings  are  situate  upon  an  eminence  within  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  city  and  within  a  short  distance  of  some  of  its 
most  attractive  residences. 

Throughout  the  institution  there  prevails  the  neatness  and  order  of  a 
well  regulated  family.  A  system  of  marks  is  used  for  the  purpose  of 
maintaining  discipline,  and  the  boys  are  relied  upon  as  monitors. 

The  boys  are  allowed  two  suits  of  clothes.  For  daily  use,  they  wear 
all-wool,  indigo-blue  jackets,  lined  with  flannel,  with  heavy,  all-wool 
gray  cloth  for  vest  and  pants,  hickory  shirts,  good  shoes  and  stockings, 
and  blue  caps.  On  Sundays  the  pants  worn  are  blue  instead  of  gray. 

Great  care  is  exercised  to  have  the  utmost  cleanliness.  The  inmates 
sleep  in  single  beds  supplied  always  with  an  abundance  of  clean  bed- 
ding. Their  food  is  prepared  in  the  most  approved  manner,  meats  and 
bread  are  of  the  first  quality,  and  vegetables,  when  in  season,  are  boun- 
tifully supplied.  Coffee  is  served  every  morning  and  evening;  and  the 
tables,  covered  with  white  oil-cloth,  with  the  white  porcelain  crockery 
and  the  silver-plated  knives,  forks,  spoons,  casters,  and  soup  tureens, 
give  the  dining-rooms  the  appearance  of  a  well  kept  restaurant. 

During  every  Sabbath  afternoon  the  pulpit  is  filled  by  some  minister 
from  the  churches  of  the  city,  and  also  instruction  is  given  to  a  class  of 
Catholic  boys  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy. 


10  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

Mr.  Howe  has  devoted  his  life  to  this  work,  and  is  constantly  appealed 
to  for  advice  and  information.  He  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the 
plans  of  buildings  at  Meriden,  and  explained  in  detail  the  operation 
and  management  of  his  school.  The  whole  system  is  founded  in  sim- 
plicity, but  he  has  prepared  the  following  explanation  of  the  open  or 
family  system,  which  contains  in  his  own  language  his  views  and  coun- 
sel on  such  matters  as  will  arise  in  the  organization  of  a  school  to  be 
conducted  on  this  system  and  an  answer  to  the  objections  made  to  it: 

The  family  system  is  that  which  has  for  its  underlying  and  grand 
idea  the  family  as  a  divine  institution,  and  that  the  Creator  has  or- 
dained that  human  beings  shall  receive,  through  it,  greater  and  more 
lasting  social  and  moral  influence  than  through  any  sphere  of  life.  In 
conformity  with  this  great  and  fundamental  principle  the  inmates  are 
classified,  and  limited  numbers  are  placed  in  modest  but  well  built  cot- 
tages, which  are  free  from  anything  like  the  usual  prison  appliances, 
and  furnished  with  all  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  a  well  ordered 
home,  presided  over  by  a  Christian  gentleman  and  lady,  who,  as  hus- 
band and  wife,  hold  the  relation  of  father  and  mother  toward  the  youth 
of  the  household.  Each  family  is  distinct  from  the  other  families  in  all 
matters  of  its  own  particular  management,  but  is  united  with  all  the 
others  under  one  central  head,  every  family  having  its  own  school-room, 
dining-room,  dormitory,  and  playground;  the  government  of  each  fam- 
ily to  be  thoroughly  parental,  and  physical  coercion  never  to  be  used 
until  other  means  have  failed,  and  when  used,  to  be  administered  under 
the  humanizing  spirit  and  genius  of  the  family. 

Thus  we  claim  for  our  system  a  foundation  upon  natural  and  funda- 
mental principles,  and  upon  that  one  best  known  and  deepest  felt  in  the 
universal  mind  and  heart  of  men:  that  in  the  family  and  home  are 
found  the  most  impressive  and  lasting  influences  that  shape  the  child 
into  the  man.  It  would  appear  that  there  could  be  no  cavil  against  the 
self-evidence  that  this  was  the  Creator's  design  in  the  founding  and  con- 
servation of  human  society.  It  follows,  then,  that  in  removing  a  boy 
from  an  inadequate  or  bad  home,  into  a  better  and  good  one,  we  are  not 
acting  in  violation,  but  in  harmony  with  natural  law. 

And  the  wisdom  of  harmonious  procedure  must  be  further  apparent, 
when  we  consider  the  nature,  the  instincts,  and  necessities  of  child  life. 
If,  in  the  being  of  man  and  woman  there  is  the  implanted  instinct,  the 
cry  of  nature  for  offspring,  for  some  creation  from  their  own  loins  to 
love,  there  is  also  the  corresponding  implanted  appeal  in  the  child  for 
the  protection  and  tenderness  of  a  father  and  mother  and  the  breedings 
of  a  home.  So  that  if  we  remove  a  child  from  parents  who  have  vir- 
tually orphaned  him  by  their  inadequacy,  neglect,  or  cruel  usage,  and 
from  a  home  unnatural  and  hateful,  and  bring  him  into  the  adoption  of 
a  wiser  and  better  parentage,  and  into  the  more  natural  home  of  comfort 
and  benevolence,  then,  again,  we  are  not  going  contrary  to,  but  in  unison 
with,  natural  principles. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  fundamental  idea  and  theory  of  our  plan  for 
juvenile  reformative  government,  in  opposition  to  the  genius  and  meth- 
ods of  the  common  and  penal  institution. 

The  prison  principle  is  more  or  less  hateful  to  the  adult  delinquent; 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  11 

it  is  an  abhorrence  to  the  youthful  offender.  The  prison  principle  in 
reform  peculiarly  outrages  the  nature  of  child  life.  The  shock  pene- 
trates to  the  ends  of  his  being,  and  body  and  soul  rise  up  against  it  in 
the  fiercest  antagonism;  for,  as  soon  as  born,  the  great  law  is  upon  the 
child,  that  he  springs  toward  the  development  of  a  man.  To  this  end 
his  Creator  has  endowed  him  with  the  most  intense  activity  and  restless- 
ness. The  child  loves  and  pants  for  freedom.  His  every  contact  with 
nature  is  but  his  communion  with  a  second  mother.  To  a  boy  the  bolted 
door,  the  barred  window,  the  walled  yard,  the  shadowy  cell,  and  the 
divers  contrivances  of  brute  force,  are  not  so  much  terrors  as  enemies, 
that  he  is  not  afraid  to  fight,  and  with  which  every  impulse  of  his  nature 
does  wage  implacable  conflict,  though,  for  the  time  being,  he  may  be 
rendered  helpless  against  them.  These  barriers  against  the  deep  crav- 
ings of  his  child  nature,  instead  of  becoming  factors  in  his  reform, 
become  like  Carthaginian  altars,  and  he,  like  a  young  Hannibal,  swears 
upon  them  undying  hatred  to  them,  to  the  builders  of  them;  and  such 
is  the  desperate  growth  of  his  ferocious  hate,  that  he  fancies  in  every 
man  the  architect  of  some  new  prison  and  its  penalties. 

Behind  them  and  under  their  despotic  sway,  the  question,  we  believe, 
never  enters  his  mind,  "  How  shall  I  reform  through  these  agencies?" 
but  "  How  shall  I  get  away  from  them?"  The  darkness  of  these  things 
is  so  great  to  him,  that  never  a  ray  of  Christian  and  humanizing  light 
can  he  see  in  such  an  economy  of  government  and  instruction.  All  of 
it  is  an  unnatural  home  to  him,  no  home — only  a  horde  of  criminals, 
more  or  less  bad,  and  the  star  of  hope,  if  it  shines  at  all,  flickers  dim 
and  sickly.  His  officers  and  teachers,  however  kind  in  intention,  are, 
by  the  genius  of  such  a  system,  never  parental  or  fraternal,  but  sus- 
picious constables  and  taskmasters;  every  movement  of  his  life  under  a 
galling  surveillance.  And  to  add  to  the  cloudy  prospect  of  a  child  un- 
der this  system,  there  is  increase  of  whatever  natural  stigma  comes  to 
him  by  being  "  sent  to  a  reform  school,"  and  it  makes  such  opprobrium 
far  greater  and  miserable.  As  the  child  enters,  he  knows  by  public 
opinion  that  he  is  thought  only  fit  to  have  a  prison  for  a  home,  police- 
men for  parents,  and  bolts  and  dungeons  for  laws;  and  when  he  conies 
out  he  finds  the  "jail  bird"  estimate  engraven  so  deeply  that  no  sweat 
of  any  virtuous  effort  can  rub  it  out,  and  finally,  as  a  crowning  disad- 
vantage and  demerit  of  the  prison  reformatory,  we  see  the  State,  in  plac- 
ing her  wayward  children  under  such  a  system,  committing  herself  to  a 
most  stultifying  and  suicidal  policy,  in  that  while  her  great  aim  is  to 
bring  such  children  into  reformed  men,  she  seeks  to  do  this  by  training 
them  as  criminals. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  penal  institution  for  the  rectification  of 
adult  and  matured  depravity,  as  a  system  for  the  wayward  child  it  is  a 
barbarism,  a  worthy  relic  of  the  harsh  and  heartless  ages  past,  when 
men  were  rated  about  in  the  percentage  of  cattle,  and  belongs  not  to 
this  age,  so  irradiated  by  influences  that  prize  degraded  humanity  at 
something  of  the  value  put  upon  it  by  the  redeeming,  loving  Christ. 

In  contrast  with  the  destructive  nature  and  methods,  and  the  abort- 
ive results  of  the  congregate  or  prison  policy,  we  urge  with  every  instinct 
of  our  soul,  and  on  literal  knowledge  of  the  actual,  tangible,  and  glo- 
rious successes,  the  claims  of  the  open  or  family  system. 

The  man  or  the  woman,  through  the  wear  and  grind  of  life  outside 
the  prison,  may,  even  for  the  scant  hospitalities  inside  of  it,  sink  into  a 


12  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

degree  of  contentment;  but  the  child  and  youth  deprived  of  this  degree 
of  liberty,  with  life  a  perpetual  shackle,  is  put  into  an  unconquerable 
antagonism  to  all  reformatory  influences;  for,  again,  see  the  operations 
of  natural  law!  The  growing  child  and  youth  is  under  the  press  of  the 
animal  nature,  environed  by  the  conditions  of  animalism,  has  the  motive 
power  of  animal  spirits  within  as  the  adult  has  not.  In  youth  we  see 
the  warm  and  eruptive.  In  the  adult  they  have  greatly  spent  their 
force.  Now,  the  prison  and  its  methods  are  those  barriers  to  the  neces- 
sary, proper  vent  and  outflow  of  the  basilar  forces.  But  the  open,  the 
freer,  the  home  system,  with  its  wide  facilities  for  labor,  for  play,  for 
wide  communion  with  nature  outside,  and  the  social  and  moral  facili- 
ties within  the  home,  are  the  natural,  healthful  means,  the  aqueducts 
through  which  these  inflammable  and  critical  propensities  may  expend 
themselves  safely.  .  . 

The  family  plan  gives  time  and  most 4  convenient  opportunities  tor 
close  contact  and  confiding  interview  with  each  child;  for  he  is  a  child 
in  a  home  and  not  one  of  a  promiscuous  and  repellant  gang.  In  the 
heads  of  the  family  he  has  a  father  and  a  mother;  in  his  teachers  he 
has  elder  brothers  and  sisters.  His  life  passes  day  by  day  in  review 
before  them;  but  this  parental  and  fraternal  watchfulness  never  excites 
his  hostility,  but  in  natural,  healthful  way  tempers  and  disciplines  his 
tendencies  to  waywardness.  And  here  the  way  opens  to  the  most  ample 
opportunities  for  woman's  transcendent  influence.  The  universal  heart 
of  men  will  acknowledge  the  strange  potency  of  the  mother  upon  the 
growing  character  of  a  child,  and  especially  in  lasting  influence  upon 
a  boy.  Here,  then,  in  this  system  we  give  the  boy  to  be  mothered, 
by  giving  him  a  home,  such  as  the  necessities  of  the  penal  plan  know 
nothing  about;  and  especially  does  this  consideration  rise  into  moment- 
ous importance  as  we  know  that  many  of  the  commitments  are  of  chil- 
dren of  tender  age.  Then  if  we  can  have  a  reformatory  system  that 
will  give  us  woman's  ear  to  listen  to  little  ailments;  woman's  hand  to 
soften  the  rigors  of  the  young  orphaned  life,  and  the  scepter  of  woman's 
soft  and  winning  love  to  rule  in  that  strange  kingdom,  the  heart  of  a 
child,  then  it  is  immeasurable  gain! 

But  while  we  have  full  confidence  in  the  soundness  of  these  mere 
fundamental  considerations,  we  hasten  on  to  others,  which,  of  course, 
will  have  greater  general  acceptance,  the  proofs  wrought  out  by  actual 
experience. 

And  here,  in  referring  as  briefly  as  possible  to  the  history  and  results 
of  the  Ohio  Reform  School  for  Boys,  over  which  we  had  the  honor  of 
presiding  for  so  many  years,  we  can  only  mention  that  the  institutions 
in  Germany  and  France,  the  authors  of  the  Ohio  school  principle,  were 
noble  successes,  the  hope  of  philanthropists  there,  and  gave  the  most 
promising  warrant  for  the  adoption  of  the  experiment  in  Ohio. 

The  first  reformatory  institution  organized  upon  the  open  or  family 
plan  in  this  country  was  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1858,  founded 
essentially  on  the  principle,  and  adopting  the  methods  of  the  "Rauhe 
Haus"  at  Horn,  Germany,  founded  by  Dr.  Wichern,  and  the  military 
school  at  Mettray,  France,  organized  by  DeMetz.  The  first  ten  boys 
were  received  from  the  Cincinnati  House  of  Refuge,  January  thirtieth 
of  the  first  year.  Two  of  the  four  original  buildings  for  family  purposes 
were  of  brick,  and  two  of  logs,  and  very  plain.  These  soon  made  way 
for  better  ones,  until  the  school  became  one  of  surprising  and  splendid 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  13 

proportions.  In  the  establishment  of  this  school,  of  course,  there  were 
no  precedents  that  were  at  all  well  defined  and  practicable,  by  which 
its  economy  could  be  guided.  All  was  new,  and  to  so  great  extent  novel 
that  the  people  at  large  were  utterly  skeptical  and  scoffing  toward  the 
pretenses  of  a  system  that  proposed  to  govern  bad  and  criminal  boys 
without  the  usual  apparatus  of  the  prison;  and  appropriations  came 
sparingly  and  grudgingly,  so  that  the  whole  pioneer  history  of  this 
institution  is  largely  the  unwritten  one  of  arduous  and  painful  toil. 
And  the  tide  of  disbelief  and  opposition  only  began  to  flow  back  when 
there  went  out  from  the  institution  into  different  parts  of  the  State,  by 
twos  and  threes,  the  first  companies  of  reformed  boys.  These  gave  such 
universal  and  marked  credit  to  the  place  and  Avork  that  had  saved  them, 
that  immediately  we  began  to  receive  the  grateful  interest  and  support 
which  the  fuller  success  of  the  institution  so  imperatively  demanded; 
and,  thanks  to  an  all  wise  helping  Providence,  it  was  demonstrated,  to 
us  convincingly,  overwhelmingly,  in  our  nineteen  years  of  superintend- 
ence of  that  institution,  that  this  was  a  better  way  to  bring  into  a  true 
captivity  the  wayward  body  and  spirit,  than  by  their  incarceration 
between  frowning  walls,  and  its  all-hateful  and  abortive  array  of  brutal 
power.  We  have  seen,  again  and  again,  most  signally  vindicated  that 
heavenly  reminder  to  men,  that  there  is  still  left  in  the  nature  of  their 
most  fallen  fellows  a  craving  for  mercy  and  kindness,  and  the  instinct 
to  respond  to  any  such  benign  exhibition.  Such  far  penetrating  and 
marvelous  transformations  of  character  have  we  seen,  as  the  harvest  of 
this  policy,  that  we  have  said,  "Indeed,  it  does  run  current  with  the 
charities  of  God,"  "  It  is  the  plan  of  God  himself,"  "  It  is  the  true  one, 
and  there  is  no  other." 

Of  the  large  number  that  passed  out  of  the  institution  to  care  for 
themselves,  a  mass  of  wonderful  and  most  gratifying  statistics  could  be 
gathered.  Among  the  number  may  be  found  eminent  lawyers,  doctors, 
and  members  of  other  honorable  professions;  some  passed  through  col- 
lege with  high  honors;  some  have  become  editors  and  proprietors  of 
influential  journals;  others,  skilled  mechanics  and  tradesmen,  while 
scores  have  become  industrious  farmers  and  horticulturists,  acquiring 
their  taste  and  knowledge  of  these  noble  industries  at  the  school.  Most 
affecting  reminiscences  of  soldierly  fidelity  could  be  given  of  those  who 
enlisted  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  We  do  not  believe  that  the  same 
number  of  youths  taken  from  the  ordinary  walks  of  life  would  furnish 
a  better  average  record,  and  yet  the  majority  of  these  boys  who  have 
made  these  good  records  were  from  the  lower  walks  of  society.  But  it 
may  be  possible  that  it  will  occur  to  some  minds  that  such  successes 
were  isolated  and  phenomenal;  then  let  us  add  to  this  testimony  the 
wide  and  significant  fact  that  the  Ohio  school  has  become  the  pioneer 
and  pattern  of  similar  institutions  in  several  of  the  States,  and  that  no 
State,  since  the  successes  of  that  school,  has  erected  a  reformatory  on 
the  prison  plan;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  some,  while  not  seeing  their 
way  clear  to  make  radical  changes,  have  modified  their  penal  systems. 

The  following  States  have  adopted  the  open,  or  family,  institution, 
either  fully  or  with  slight  modifications:  New  Jersey,  Wisconsin,  Indiana, 
Iowa,  Minnesota,  Michigan,  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  the  District  of 
Columbia.  The  States  of  Ohio,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut  have 
each  a  school  on  the  open  plan  for  girls  and  for  boys:  Massachusetts 
has  her  institution  at  Westborough  as  a  "  mixed  "  one.  In  addition  to 


14  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

the  "  big  "  house,  or  prison  portion,  there  are  "  trust "  houses  outside  the 
walls.  Connecticut  is  adopting  essentially  this  modification,  beginning 
to  build  outside  of  the  walls  this  year,  it  being  the  best  she  can  do  for 
the  present,  We  are  confident  that  other  States  would  wholly  or  parti- 
ally adopt  the  family  system,  if  it  were  not  that  large  expenditures 
having  been  made,  new  outlays  would  come  only  by  great  effort,  and 
with  natural  reluctance. 

Objections  have  been  advanced  against  the  open  or  family  system, 
that  it  is  natural  to  suppose  will,  from  time  to  time,  be  revived.  It  will 
be  our  attempt  to  reply  to  these;  and  first,  in  a  more  general  way,  by 
discussing  the  requisites  favorable  to  the  success  of  a  reformatory  on 
the  family  system,  which  it  is  hoped  will  meet  at  least  the  more  trivial 
misgivings;  and  second,  by  a  particular  consideration  of  the  more  spe- 
cific objections. 

The  primary  requisite  is  a  farm  of  thoroughly  good  land,  and  large 
enough  to  furnish  all  the  necessaries  and  some  of  the  luxuries,  that  the 
needs  of  the  institution  may  be  met,  and  to  spare.  Large  and  fertile, 
that  it  may  never  lack  support  for  a  sufficient  herd  of  cows,  and  for  the 
necessary  equipment  of  the  farm.  All  the  fruit  trees  which  will  flourish 
in  the  region  should  be  lavishly  planted  and  assiduously  cultivated. 
The  greatest  number  of  acres  possible  should  be  reserved  for  tillage, 
because  these  acres  are  to  be  such  real  factors  in  the  boy's  reformation. 
We  have  remarked,  as  a  prime  consideration,  that  the  land  should  be 
thoroughly  good.  We  wish  to  emphasize  this  so  essential  necessity, 
not  only  that  the  institution  may  have  the  highest  opportunities  to  pay 
its  way,  but  also  in  the  moral  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  officers  who 
superintend,  and  the  boys  who  work  it.  That  they  shall  not  have  to 
toil  and  sweat,  and  reap  not,  but  to  expect  bloom  and  wealth,  and  get 
them.  Indeed,  all  agricultural  and  horticultural  matters  are  to  have 
such  generous  attention  paid  them,  that  it  shall  be  felt  throughout  the 
institution  that  the  noble  farming  industry  is  the  chief  and  central  one. 
Another  prime  prerequisite  is  the  location  of  the  school  near  an  abund- 
ance of  sweet,  pure  water;  and  we  hardly  need  add  that  the  site  of  the 
reformatory  should  be  first  and  foremost  an  healthful  one.  It  should  also 
be  situated  in  an  intelligent  and  moral  community.  The  surroundings 
of  such  an  institution  are  of  great  importance.  There  are  many  such 
institutions  that  are  suffering  through  the  inimical  feeling  of  its  neigh- 
bors; springing  largely  from  ignorance,  and  the  narrowness  bred  of  it. 
We  are  reminded  by  these  considerations  of  the  hinderances  with  wrhich 
the  rOhio  school  had  to  contend,  and  wrhich  still,  in  great  measure,  ham- 
per it.  Its  farm  land  is  wretchedly  poor,  necessitating  a  vast  amount 
of  labor  and  discouraging  hope;  and  at  its  inception,  at  least,  the  stand- 
ard of  intelligence  in  the  surrounding  inhabitants,  and  their  prejudices, 
were  anything  but  desirable. 

The  location  of  a  reformatory  should  be  made  with  wise  reference  to 
markets  and  transportation,  and  yet,  to  be  too  near  a  city  or  large  village 
is  detrimental;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  extreme  isolation  is  to  be  avoided. 
All  life  and  animation  which  indicate  the  honorable  progress  of  the  age 
are  profitable  as  incitements  to  body  and  mind. 

The  buildings  should  be  plain,  but  substantial  and  comfortable;  the 
executive  buildings  to  be  the  central  ones,  and  the  family  cottages  con- 
veniently and  pleasantly  surrounding.  The  cottages  to  be  appropriately 
named,  and  surrounded  with  the  beauty  of  lawn,  shrub,  and  flower. 


EEFOEMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  15 

Each  to  have  its  own  family  garden  for  the  common  interest  of  the 
household,  and,  if  possible,  each  child  to  have  a  part  in  it  as  his  own. 
This  latter  feature  was  at  one  time  pursued  with  most  gratifying  results 
in  the  Ohio  school. 

The  homes  should  be  ones  to  which  every  boy  can  aspire  by  industry 
and  prudence,  and  he  should  be  so  taught.  Everything  in  and  outside 
the  homes  should  be  made  educative  and  pleasant.  They  should  be 
provided  with  an  abundance  of  wholesome  food.  If  it  is  true  that  the 
"  way  to  a  man's  heart  is  through  his  stomach,"  how  much  more  is  this 
the  road  of  promise  in  the  growing,  vigorous  child.  No  specified  dietary 
should  be  allowed — children  should  never  know  beforehand  such  times 
as  "  bean  day,"  "  fish  day,"  etc.  All  distinguishments  in  dress  should 
be  avoided.  Let  the  boys  dress  as  other  boys  do.  Let  all  such  arbitrary 
distinctions  be  put  as  far  away  as  possible,  that  the  child  may  live  a 
simple,  natural  life,  and  going  back  into  general  society,  the  transition 
shall  be  an  easy  and  natural  one. 

And  now,  if,  in  the  ideas  thus  set  forth,  it  is  thought  there  is  created 
too  much  of  the  mere  pleasure  home,  with  danger  of  engendered  idle 
disposition,  and  character  lacking  thrift  and  sturdiness,  we  say,  no! 
While  it  should  be  the  sacred  aim  that  the  comforts  and  pleasures  of  a 
true  home  are  to  accompany  all  efforts,  yet  the  aim  equally  sacred  and 
sought  is  to  make  the  reform  institution  a  nursery  of  honorable  indus- 
try, and  the  formation  of  energetic,  sturdy  habits  of  thrift,  to  train  in 
manly  and  Christian  purpose  and  action.  In  trades  and  occupations, 
to  teach  the  boys  perfectly  what  they  essay  to  learn,  whatever  it  is;  that 
for  their  own  sake,  when  they  go  forth,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  State, 
they  shall  be  found  skilled  and  expert  laborers.  The  great  aim  of  this 
education  should  be  to  make  the  boy  self-sustaining,  himself  to  become  a 
a  wise  and  worthy  head  of  a  family. 

As  a  second  consideration  in  the  prerequisites  for  a  thorough  and 
efficient  reformatory  on  the  family  plan,  we  remark  upon  the  required 
character  of  its  officers  and  teachers. 

It  will  be  readily  acknowledged  that  this  matter  is  of  first  moment  in 
endeavors  to  get  what  little  good  is  possible  from  the  prison  plan  of 
reform;  but  regarding  it  in  its  relation  to  our  family  system,  it  is  the  core, 
the  marrow  of  our  system.  It  is  to  it  life,  paralysis,  or  death.  The 
genius  of  our  system  is  the  home — the  family.  In  the  heads  of  it  the 
father  and  mother;  in  the  subordinate,  officer  and  teacher — the  elder 
brother.  In  methods,  its  fundamental  aim  is  kindness,  gentleness,  for- 
bearance, self-sacrifice,  humanizing  and  Christian  influences.  Now,  to 
have  a  weak  king  or  magistrate  is  damaging;  but  to  have  fathers  and 
mothers  and  brethren  of  the  family  inadequate  and  weak,  is  destruc- 
tion. 

The  Superintendent  to  be  sought  for  is  to  be  one  who  has  had  actual 
practical  experience  in  reformatory,  or  at  least  in  some  philanthropic 
labor — of  course,  the  more  the  better ;  a  man  who  believes  his  work  to 
be  the  noblest  on  earth,  who  has  enthusiasm  for  his  profession;  a  man 
believing  with  all  his  soul  in  the  fundamental  idea  of  the  family  system, 
and  expecting  results  from  it  with  an  assurance  like  that  which  looks 
for  the  sun's  light  and  shining  on  to-morrow;  a  man  of  intelligence, 
good  common  sense,  tact,  and  conciliatory  spirit. 

These  same  general  requisites  of  character  are  to  be  sought  for  in  all 
the  subordinate  officers  and  teachers;  love  and  enthusiasm  for  the  work 


16  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

are  ever  the  great  requirements  to  be  insisted  upon  in  the  choice  of  those 
to  be  in  authority  and  parentage  over  these  children  and  youth,  and 
anything  like  the  hireling  spirit  in  the  candidate  for  these  places  is  to 
be  abhorred,  and  the  mere  seekers  of  place  and  salary  to  be  rejected  as 
unworthy. 

In  the  government  of  the  reformatory  we  hardly  dare  say  that  any 
one  person  may  be  less  fitted  for  his  place  than  another;  but  if  any  such 
thing  <can  be  allowed,  then  again  we  wish  to  emphasize  the  prerequisites 
of  character  in  the  heads  of  the  cottage  homes— the  husbands  and 
wives,  the  fathers  and  mothers.  Yes;  we  will  even  say  that  there  may 
be  some  lack  permitted  in  the  chief  and  head  of  the  institution;  pro- 
vided such  want  is  offset  by  thorough  and  sterling  worth  in  the  heads 
of  the  different  homes.  For  here  are  the  fountains  of  influence,  here 
are  the  hearts,  the  throbbing  life  centers  of  the  institution.  These 
homes  are  the  suns  from  which  are  to  irradiate  the  real  light  of  the 
reformatory,  and  if  they  suffer  any  eclipse  the  shadows  are  deeper  than 
from  any  other  cause.  These  are  as  rudders  to  the  ship,  while  all  else 
is  but  the  crew;  and  even  if  the  Captain  fails  somewhat  as  a  navigator, 
still  great  safety  may  be  hoped  for,  if  those  at  the  helm  are  good  and 
true. 

Then  the  men  and  women  to  be  sought  as  the  heads  of  these  homes 
are  to  be  of  first  worth,  Christian  gentlemen  and  ladies — persons  of  first 
rate  common  sense  and  intelligence — of  natural  refinement  as  well  as 
some  acquired  culture,  and  if  they  have  had  or  have  children  of  their 
own,  it  is  a  matter  of  gain.  If  not,  then  those  are  to  be  sought  wrho 
have  strong  natural  love  for  children,  and  sympathy  with  child  life. 
They  are  to  be  Christian,  that  in  ample  way  they  may  be  in  God's  stead 
to  the  untrained  and  neglected  child — qualified  to  lay  the  foundation 
for  moral  character,  and  the  efficient  architects  of  its  further  develop- 
ments— persons  whose  interest  in  the  child  relate  not  alone  to  time,  but 
to  eternity. 

We  pass,  now,  to  more  specific  notice  of  the  more  common  and  promi- 
nent objections. 

The  matter  of  expense  has  been  urged.  Yes,  we  cheerfully  admit  the 
family  to  be  more  expensive  pecuniarily  than  the  prison  system.  But 
let  the  first  part  of  our  answer  J)e  the  considerations  of  the  commonest 
expediency  and  sense.  The  family  system  is  worth  more!  It  is  wrorth 
more  in  dollars  and  cents  to  the  State,  in  that  its  reformatory  efforts  are 
so  full  of  hope  that  its  graduates  will  become  permanently  self-support- 
ing and  good  citizens,  putting  the  State  to  no  further  expense  by  coming 
back  to  the  institution,  either  speedily  or  eventually;  either  as  criminals 
or  paupers,  or  both;  but  on  the  other  hand  enriching  the  State  by  good 
citizenship.  Yes,  it  costs  somewhat  more  than  the  prison  reformatory, 
but  it  is  worth  more  even  by  the  measurement  of  the  lowest  standard. 
If  the  reform  school  means  anything,  it  means  physical,  mental,  and 
moral  reformation  for  this  life,  and  redemption  for  the  life  to  come;  then 
where  is  the  man  who  will  sully  his  Christian  faith  and  name  by  figur- 
ing the  dollar  and  cent  cost  of  any  reformatory  system  that  will  in  the 
greatest  degree  secure  these  transcendent  results?  And  we  argue  that 
the  family  system  will  give  these  results  in  the  greatest  degree. 

Yes,  and  we  argue  more.  We  claim  that  even  if  our  system  was  still 
one  in  tentative  and  experimental  conditions,  and  was  not  yet,  what  it 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  It 

is,  a  realized  and  noble  triumph,  still  it  would  be  worth  all  the  money 
cost  to  fairly  try  the  promise  that  lies  it. 

The  chief  and  only  noteworthy  cost  in  our  system  over  any  other 
would,  of  course,  come  from  the  increased  numbers  and  superior  quali- 
fications required  in  the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  school.  And  yet 
an  economy  here  may  be  wisely  practiced.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the 
heads  of  these  cottage  homes,  or  for  teachers,  to  be  persons  encumbered 
with  anything  like  large  and  expensive  families  of  their  own.  This 
would  be  a  positive  detriment  to  their  needed  efficiency,  and  would  be  a 
useless  cost  to  the  State.  Nothing  like  dead  weights  upon  any  institu- 
tion should  be  for  a  moment  allowed. 

But  if  the  State  will  drive  anything  like  a  bargain  in  this  matter,  then 
our  system  must  go  unpurchased,  for  there  is  a  cheaper.  The  genius  of 
brute  power  may  be  bought  for  even  a  very  low  price.  A  jail  need  not 
be  an  expensive  edifice;  and  the  men  are  plenty  and  cheap  who  will 
make  good  master  jailers.  A  single  turnkey  may  have  charge  of  even 
one  half  the  inmates  of  a  school,  and  all  the  teachers  under  such'  an 
administration  may  consistently  be  of  a  lower  grade. 

The  greatest  objection  brought  against  our  system  is  the  liability  of 
"escapes."  This  is  so  readily  presumed  that  the  question  most  fre- 
quently is  not  "Will  not  the  boys  escape?"  as  "How  many  escape?" 
We  reply  by  saying  that  right  here  around  this  supposed  pivotal  critical 
liability  of  our  system  center  its  finest  triumphs.  We  would  have  sup- 
posed this  very  possible  from  the  fundamental  principles  of  our  system; 
but  we  have  seen  the  assurance  in  the  actual  facts. 

Boys  will  run  away  sometimes  from  even  natural  homes.  They  will 
fly  from  walled  homes  as  from  horrors,  if  they  can.  The  boy  will  natur- 
ally take  the  first  opportunity  to  flee  from  the  prison  home,  feeling  that 
it  may  be  his  last  chance;  but  why  should  he  fly  from  the  family 
restraint  when  the  opportunity  is  ever  before  him?  And  we  find  it  to 
be  a  most  singular  fact  that  he  either  puts  his  flight  off  to  some  more 
convenient  season,  or  else  his  contented  abiding  must  be  explained  on 
the  pretty  well  substantiated  principle  in  human  nature,  especially  in 
the  juvenile,  that  when  told  that  "  he  shall  not  do  a  thing,"  then  he  sets 
himself  at  once  to  work  to  do  it,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  when  left  to 
carry  out  his  own  free  will  in  such  a  matter,  he  is  either  indifferent  or 
decides  he  will  not. 

Thus  a  wise  liberty  becomes  its  own  defender.  With  us  a  boy  has 
large  and  generous  freedom.  Why  should  he  crave  more  and  uncertain 
liberty?  If  his  home  is  the  rendezvous  of  comforts,  his  food  good,  his 
clothes  tidy,  his  guardians  parental  and  kind;  if  benevolence  to  his 
animal  and  higher  wants  encircle  him,  his  time  wisely  divided  between 
work  and  play,  will  he  want  to  exchange  such  possessions  for  the  neglects, 
the  poverty,  the  distastes  of  even  the  home  of  his  birth,  and  for  society 
aimed  against  him?  We  should  presume  not,  even  if  we  were  contem- 
plating this  matter  in  the  light  of  theory.  But  suppose  that  if  even 
five  or  ten  per  cent  of  the  worst  boys  should  irretrievably  run  away, 
should  the  remaining  percentage  never  be  trusted  to  the  beneficence  of 
our  freedom?  Very  little  philanthropy,  surely,  would  lie  in  a  philoso- 
phy that  would  say  "  yes  "  to  such  a  proposition. 

But,  as  intimated,  our  experience  at  the  Ohio  school  singularly  proves 
the  confidence  of  our  foregoing  ideas  and  presumptions.  One  of  our 
cardinal  principles  in  discipline  was  to  place  confidence  in  our  boys,  to 

2D 


18  REFORMATOEY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

trust  them;  and  not  in  one  single  instance  in  nineteen  years  as  Overseer 
of  a  number  averaging  four  hundred  yearly  did  we  have  cause  to  regret 
it.  Hundreds  of  most  interesting  illustrations  might  be  given  to  show 
the  most  happy  results  of  putting  the  boys  upon  their  honor,  their  man- 
hood. , 

We  have  taken,  unattended  by  any  other  officer,  as  many  as  two  hun- 
dred boys  in  one  company  to  the  woods  "  a  chestnuttmg,  amid  brush 
of  thick,  dark  growth,  the  boys  dipersing  where  they  pleased  for  hours, 
but  when  the  recognized  signal  was  given,  every  one  responded,  returning 
home  in  good  order.  At  one  time  the  whole  body  of  inmates,  four  hundred 
in  number,  went  to  Lancaster,  six  miles  distant,  to  a  Sabbath-school 
"  concert."  The  boys  made  the  whole  trip  on  foot,  coming  back  in  the 
dark,  so  that  no  officer  knew  the  whereabouts  of  his  company,  and  yet 
every  single  one  returned  in  good  time  to  the  institution,  there  being  a 
good  deal  of  friendly  strife  as  to  which  family  should  reach  it  first;  and 
yet  woodland  lined  the  road  almost  the  entire  distance.  Hundreds  of 
other  instances  could  be  given  to  show  the  power  over  the  boy's  heart  by 
being  trusted;  of  feeling  that  he  is  thought  worthy  of  confidence  and 
esteem. 

During  the  many  years  of  our  connection  with  the  Ohio  school  there 
was  never  a  time  that  at  least  nine  tenths  of  the  boys  could  not  be  trusted 
to  go  at  any  time  alone  to  distant  parts  of  the  farm  on  errands,  or  to 
town,  six  miles  away.  We  have  received  boys  from  the  State  Prison,  at 
Columbus,  and  in  three  weeks'  time  they  have  gone  alone  to  Lancaster, 
six  miles  distant,  coming  back  promptly,  transacting  faithfully  the  busi- 
ness intrusted  to  them;  and  never  in  a  single  case  was  this  trust  abused. 
Great  and  most  gratifying  was  the  evidence  of  the  power  over  the  heart 
of  the  boy  of  being  trusted,  of  the-  expectation  that  he  would  be  faithful 
and  manly. 

The  boy  or  man  in  need  of  reformatory  treatment  is  well  nigh  hopeless 
if  he  is  to  be  continually  suspected.  Such  policy  of  perpetual  suspicion 
is  irritative,  hateful,  and  a  bondage  that  blunts  and  blights  whatever 
desire  he  may  have  to  be  worthy  of  confidence.  As  a  general  policy  in 
the  reform  of  humanity,  let  us,  in  the  name  of  Heaven,  at  least  hope 
that  all  is  right  until  good  evidence  of  the  wrong  appears.  Under  the 
prison  system  the  boy  is  constantly  suspected.  In  it,  suspicion  and  spy- 
ing are  reduced  to  a  science,  and  the  child  is  never  in  a  position  to  have 
his  honor  fairly  tried. 

Another  objection  that  appears  to  be  held  as  a  grave  one,  is  that  of 
classification;  this  taking  on  the  twofold  form  of  classification  as  to 
numbers  and  character. 

As  to  the  size  of  each  family,  fifty  or  sixty  boys  may  be  efficiently 
cared  for  in  one  home  presided  over  by  a  gentleman  and  wife  and  one 
assistant.  True,  a  smaller  number  would  be  more  in  accordance  with 
the  size  of  the  natural  family,  and,  we  have  no  doubt,  better  upon  the 
whole  for  the  inmates;  still,  from  the  pressures  of  State  prudence,  this 
large  number  can  be  efficiently  cared  for.  This  was  the  size  of  the 
family  in  Ohio,  and  we  believe,  also,  is  the  average  number  in  other 
States;  still,  if  the  additional  expense  can  be  met,  we  recommend  a 
smaller  number. 

The  second  form  of  objection  is  classification  as  to  character. 

Some  institutions  make  a  great  virture  of  such  a  division,  and  cry  out: 
"Do  not  let  the  bad  boys  mingle  with  the  good!"  We  answer,  do  not 


REFOEMATOEY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  19 

tell  a  boy  that  he  is  bad  by  putting  him  by  himself  or  with  any  exclu- 
sive company  of  the  bad.  If  you  create  any  such  pernicious  distinction, 
you  do  not  restrain  the  spirit  of  evil,  you  develop  it.  If  the  bad  boy 
sees  that  he  is  as  well  treated  as  the  boy  of  superior  merit,  he  will  endeavor 
to  rise  to  that  merit.  If  you  have  good  boys  you  need  their  influence 
over  the  bad.  The  natural  Christian  family  does  not  discard  and  thrust 
into  exile  its  wayward  members,  but  seeks  their  reformation  in  company 
with  all  its  other  members. 

This  principle  as  to  classification  was  tried  in  the  Ohio  school  with 
equally  gratifying  results,  with  all  the  others.  No  classification  as  to 
character  was  ever  known  there. 

Thus  we  have  endeavored  by  direct  and  indirect  statement  to  meet 
objections.  We  will  hope  to  still  cover  more  of  such  ground  by  further 
remarks  upon  discipline  in  general. 

Upon  this  matter  there  is  wide  diversity  of  opinion.  The  judicious 
mind  will  seek  for  the  desirable  mean  between  the  extremes.  Discipline 
may  be  too  lax;  it  may  be,  and  often  is,  far  too  severe  and  cruel. 

There  is  so  much  of  the  spirit  in  society  yet  that  demands  an  "  eye  for 
an  eye,"  and  a  "  tooth  for  a  tooth,"  that  even  the  criminal  child  must 
not  be  allowed  to  escape  until  there  is  meted  to  him  a  certain  amount  of 
punishment.  Under  the  old  system  of  treating  physical  diseases  the 
patient  must  be  well  bled  before  the  healing  treatment  could  be  begun; 
and  with  many  even  the  wayward  child  cannot  be  treated  for  his  bad- 
ness until  he  is  first  punished.  This  is  false  in  philosophy,  and  evi- 
dently wicked  in  morals.  Every  child,  in  the  matter  of  reform,  should 
be  taken  at  his  word  the  first  time  and  every  time  in  which  lies  a  rea- 
sonable hope  that  he  will  perform  his  promises. 

In  the  administration  of  a  reform  school,  next  to  its  foundation  upon 
humane  and  Christian  principles,  the  great  aim  should  be  simplicity  in 
government.  The  fewest  possible  of  simple  rules.  The  simple,  but  all- 
inclusive  standard  of  "do  right"  should  be  little  seen,  but  should  be  felt 
to  pervade  the  institution  like  an  atmosphere. 

In  the  Ohio  reformatory,  for  some  twelve  years,  and  up  to  the  time  of 
our  departure,  blanks  were  furnished  the  heads  of  families  to  be  filled 
with  the  weekly  records  of  discipline  in  each  family,  detailing  punish- 
ments of  whatever  kind  inflicted  during  the  week.  These  reports  were 
read  every  Sabbath  morning  before  the  whole  school,  and  any  boy  was 
allowed  to  make  his  personal  statement  as  to  the  correctness  of  these 
reports;  and  with  an  average  of  about  five  hundred  boys  in  the  institu- 
tion, the  aggregate  of  punishments  for  one  week  would  not  ordinarily 
exceed  twelve,  and  would  sometimes  be  less  than  half  that  number,  and 
frequently  several  weeks  would  pass  without  a  single  punishment  in 
some  of  the  families. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  history  of  the  Ohio  institution  a  stone  lock-up, 
with  cells,  was  built  for  the  confinement,  at  times,  of  the  worst  cases; 
but  we  soon  saw  its  damaging  influence  and  it  was  abandoned,  being 
converted  into  a  meat  house. 

Corporal  punishments  were  resorted  to  only  as  a  last  resort,  and  the 
rule  was  that  no  blow  should  be  inflicted  above  the  hips.  At  one  time 
the  loss  of  a  meal  or  more  was  resorted  to,  or  the  feeding  upon  crust  and 
water,  but  was  soon  abandoned  as  unwise  and  detrimental.  And  there 
is,  too,  a  wise  philosophy,  we  think,  in  discarding  such  a  punishment. 
The  appetite  of  the  growing  boy  is  a  passion,  and  to  starve  it  is  to  goad 


20  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

it  into  fury  and  bring  the  mind  into  the  worst  condition  possible  for 
reformatory  purposes.  All  ludicrous  and  highly  artificial  punishments 
are  to  be  avoided.  All  punishments  that  bring  raillery  and  ridicule 
upon  the  object  of  it  are  not  to  be  tolerated. 

No  reform  institution,  of  course,  can  be  a  success  without  some  corpo- 
ral penalties,  for  even  these  are  inflicted  in  nearly  every,  perhaps  every, 
natural  home.  But  these  are  to  be  inflicted  only  under  a  system  which 
shall  be  administered  upon  humane  and  Christian  principles,  and  only 
by  the  hands  of  persons  of  the  highest  character. 

And  now,  in  remainder,  we  purpose  to  still  further  meet  objections 
and  seeming  difficulties  by  a  few  observations  upon  the  question: 

"Why  even  more  is  not  accomplished  under  the  family  system; "  and 
will  conclude  a  paper,  whose  expanded  proportions  we  trust  will  be 
excused  in  the  importance  of  the  subject,  by  some  fragments  of  thought 
that  have  incidentally  arisen  during  the  progress  of  the  paper. 

In  the  medical  and  other  important  professions,  the  student  is  ex- 
pected to  spend  a  year  in  diligent  study  and  toil  before  he  is  fit  for  his 
diploma,  and  even  then  he  is  employed  hesitatingly  and  cautiously; 
and  especially  in  the  case  of  the  physician,  the  one  eagerly  sought  for 
and  most  trusted  is  the  one  of  skilled  reputation,  for  "  everything  that 
a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  But  if  so  anxious  to  give  the 
dangers  and  crises  of  our  bodies  and  perishable  lives  into  the  hands  of 
the  highest  skill,  and  ability,  what  shall  be  asked  for,  in  the  requirements 
of  character,  of  those  who  are  to  have  the  training  and  care  not  only  of 
the  bodily  and  mental  powers  of  neglected  and  depraved  youth  for  this 
life,  but  for  their  moral  welfare  for  this  life  and  the  next? 

We  demand  that  the  teachers  of  our  children  shall  be  persons  in  whom 
we  have  the  highest  confidence.  Shall  we  demand  less  for  the  children 
of  our  neighbors  whom  we  are  to  "love  as  ourselves?" 

The  reform  school  teachers  and  officers  are  to  be  persons  of  not  only 
efficient  professional  ability,  but  persons  ranking  in  integrity,  honor, 
and  purity  of  character,  with  any  other  calling  that  can  be  named. 

And  yet  mark  what  is  still  so  prevalently  the  popular  opinion.  It  is 
not  an  uncommon  thing,  in  many  of  the  reformatories  of  the  land,  for 
the  Boards  of  Trustees  and  Managers  to  hold  their  offices  solely  on 
account  of  political  services  to  the  party  in  power.  So  often  totally 
unfit  to  be  permitted  to  hold  these  solemn  trusts,  and  then  in  ignorance 
and  favoritism  farming  out  the  subordinate  places  to  timeservers  and 
sycophants.  The  popular  opinion  is  still  most  lamentably  prevalent, 
that  any  passable  novice  is  fit  for  Superintendent  of  a  reform  school, 
and  most  any  one  who  can  "  read,  write,  and  cipher,"  fit  for  teachers. 

Now,  because  a  man  has  been  moderately  successful  as  a  lawyer, 
farmer,  grocer,  Constable,  or  even  Sheriff,  is  it  an  argument  that  he  is 
fit  for  these  positions?  Is  it  an  argument  that  any  reputable  nobody  is 
fit  for  these  posts  because  he  happens  to  be  in  want  of  a  job  of  some 
kind  and  is  servant  to  some  small  politician? 

It  is  injury  enough  to  our  prison  schools  to  be  filled  and  officered  by 
political  timeservers;  but  for  all  expectancy  of  anything  like  the  meas- 
ure of  good  which  is  possible  to  the  family  system,  it  is  hopelessness 
and  death. 

Partisan  politics,  in  its  ignorance  and  greed,  lays  a  destructive  hand 
upon  a  great  deal  in  this  country;  but  it  does  no  such  ghastly  work  as 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  21 

when  it  intermeddles  with  the  high  necessities  of  our  reformatory  insti- 
tutions, making  them  the  playthings  of  its  greedy  caprices. 

Not  until  the  people  shall  with  solemn  resolution  say  that,  whatever 
else  the  ignorance  and  arbitrariness  of  partisan  politics  may  effect,  they 
shall  never  lay  a  disturbing  hand  upon  the  best  interests  of  our  reform- 
atory and  philanthropic  institutions — not  till  then  will  the  prison  sys- 
tems of  reform  be  better  than  they  are;  and  not  till  then  will  be  realized 
the  broad  and  magnificent  promise  that  lies  in  the  genius  and  methods 
of  our  family  system. 

In  conclusion,  and  by  way  of  recapitulation,  we  would  say,  while  the 
spirit  and  practice  under  the  open  or  family  system  tend  so  naturally 
to  lessen  the  stigma  of  a  boy's  being  "  sent  to  the  reform  school,"  and 
which  would  grow  still  less  as  the  system  became  still  firmer  established 
and  improved,  yet  the  form  of  commitment  to  the  reformatory  has  much 
to  do  in  the  opprobrium  attaching  to  the  history  of  "reform  school 
boys."  Surely  it  is  enough  to  have  in  the  Judge,  in  the  ostentatious 
constabulary,  and  necessary  legal  formalities,  features  dignified  and  au- 
gust, without  the  brutal  terrorism  to  a  child  of  handcuffs  and  shackles. 
Is  this  remark  thought  an  exaggerated  one?  We  have  seen,  many  times, 
small  boys  accompanied  to  the  reformatory  by  two  able-bodied  police- 
men, and  manacled  at  that. 

Time  sentences  should  never  be  authorized,  and  a  system  of  merits 
should  be  used  until  the  boy  has  reached  a  sufficient  degree  of  honor  to 
permit  him  to  be  released  on  probation,  to  be  returned  to  the  school  if 
need  be. 

In  government  and  instruction  the  officers  and  teachers  should  have 
the  incentive  of  diplomas  held  out  to  them,  that  professional  pride  may 
be  exalted  and  aroused.  And  a  very  prominent  aim  should  be  to  bring 
into  service  as  officers  and  teachers  the  boys  themselves.  This  incen- 
tive will  work  wonders  in  effects  to  virtuous  aspirations.  In  the  Ohio 
school  this  policy  was  so  happily  pursued  that  many  of  the  inmates 
were  employed  as  elder  brothers,  and  several  have  held  and  are  now 
holding  important  positions  as  officers  in  other  reformatories. 

The  voice  of  criticism  will  continue  to  be  heard  here  and  there  against 
the  family  system.  Some  of  it  will  be  honest  and  sincere  misgiving; 
other  will  be,  as  it  often  has  been,  the  voice  of  prejudice,  or  the  results 
of  partial  and  inadequate  investigation.  But  here  again  let  us  remind 
the  objector  of  some  very  reasonable  considerations.  A  theory  and 
principle  may  be  perfectly  sound  and  practicable,  and  yet  be  singularly 
abortive  by  maladministration.  No  philanthropic  institution  can  stand 
the  freaks  of  partisan  politics.  It  cannot  stand  to  have  its  places  of 
trust  filled  by  inadequacy  and  mediocrity. 

STATE     INDUSTRIAL    SCHOOL    FOR    JUVENILE    OFFENDERS    AT    KEARNEY, 

NEBRASKA. 

This  school  is  also  conducted  on  the  family  or  cottage  system,  and 
receives  both  boys  and  girls.  It  is  organized  under  a  provision  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  Nebraska  delegating  to  the  Legislature  the 
power  "  to  provide  by  law  for  the  establishment  of  a  school,  or  schools, 
for  the  safe-keeping,  education,  employment,  and  reformation  of  all 


22  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

children,  under  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  who,  for  want  of  proper  parental 
care,  or  other  cause,  are  growing  up  in  mendicancy  or  crime."  The 
school  is  located  on  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  donated  by 
the  City  of  Kearney  and  adjoining  the  western  limits  of  the  city.  The 
inventory  shows  an  investment  in  all  of  $145,000.  Incandescent  electric 
lights  of  the  Mather  system  illuminate  the  buildings  and  grounds.  The 
cost  of  the  plant  was  $3,500.  The  plant  embraces  a  two  hundred  and 
fifty-lamp  dynamo,  equivalent  to  sixteen  candle  power,  and  a  high  speed 
engine  having  fifty-seven  horse  power.  Water  for  the  uses  of  the  school 
is  obtained  by  a  system  of  drive  wells  at  the  bottom  of  a  hill,  and  the 
water  is  forced  up  by  a  double-acting  steam  pump,  through  a  four-inch 
main. 

The  buildings  and  cottages  are  heated  by  steam.  The  radiators  are 
heated  by  one  central  system  connecting  by  pipes  with  the  different  cot- 
tages. The  inmates  bathe  every  Saturday.  Each  cottage  is  provided 
with  bathtubs,  besides  which  there  is  a  pond  covering  four  acres,  used 
by  the  boys  for  swimming  in  summer. 

The  Superintendent,  Mr.  John  T.  Mallalieu,  recommends  that  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  buildings  for  the  Preston  School  the  kitchen  and 
cooking-rooms  should  be  in  one  building,  separated  from  the  adminis- 
tration and  other  buildings.  In  this  building  the  cooking  should  be 
done  on  the  lower  floor  and  the  upper  floor  should  be  used  for  dining- 
rooms.  At  Kearney  this  arrangement  does  not  prevail.  The  kitchen 
and  dining-rooms  are  a  part  of  the  administration  building,  but  Mr. 
Mallalieu  is  opposed  to  this  plan. 

At  the  time  I  visited  the  school,  the  number  of  inmates  was  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six,  of  which  number  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  were 
boys  and  seventy-two  were  girls.  Mr.  Mallalieu  strongly  recommends 
that  boys  and  girls  should  not  be  cared  for  in  the  same  institution.  The 
cost  per  capita  is  $3  64  per  week,  which  sum  includes  all  expenses. 
The  cost  for  clothing  and  bedding  is  $25  per  capita  per  year. 

Mr.  Mallalieu,  in  speaking  of  trades,  recommended  that  all  light  trades 
should  be  taught,  and  remarked  that  when  a  boy  became  interested  in 
his  tools,  something  could  be  done  with  him.  He  said  that  the  inmates 
of  his  institution  are  in  demand  from  different  parts  of  the  State;  that 
he  had  thirty  applications  on  file  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  had  no 
difficulty  in  finding  employment  for  the  boys  when  discharged. 

Mr.  Mallalieu  said  he  would  recommend  that  forty  boys  be  placed  in 
each  cottage,  although  at  his  school  the  cottage  buildings  contain  from 
forty-four  to  forty-eight.  Various  slight  punishments  are  used  to  correct 
misbehavior,  and  in  some  cases  resort  is  had  to  solitary  confinement. 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  23 

Escapes  occur  at  times,  but  most  frequently  in  the  winter  when  the 
boys  are  restless  from  lack  of  outdoor  employment.  Mr.  Mallalieu 
informs  me  that  since  May  first,  of  last  year,  there  were  only  three 
attempts  at  escape.  If  the  boys  are  kept  employed  and  allowed  a  rea- 
sonable time  for  play  and  recreation  there  is  little  disposition  to  run 
away.  The  head  of  a  cottage  is  called  the  family  manager.  He  has 
the  entire  control  of  the  cottage  under  his  charge,  and  the  Superintend- 
ent does  not  deal  with  the  boys  except  through  him. 

In  reference  to  a  site  for  such  a  school,  Mr.  Mallalieu  stated  that  it 
should  be  within  three  miles  of  a  city,  and  should  embrace  at  least  a 
section  of  land.  The  boys  have  a  band  of  eighteen  pieces,  which  has 
frequently  played  at  the  State  Fair  and  on  other  public  occasions.  Let- 
ters are  read  before  they  are  delivered  to  the  inmates  or  sent  to  their 
friends.  They  are  allowed  to  write  once  a  month  at  the  expense  of  the 
school,  and  once  a  month  at  their  own  expense,  ^yhen  parents  visit 
children  in  the  school  no  watch  is  kept  over  them.  They  may  do  as 
they  please. 

"  The  principal  thing,"  said  Mr.  Mallalieu,  "  in  running  a  school  of 
this  kind  is  to  keep  the  boys  contented  without  their  knowing  you  are 
trying  to  do  it." 

No  particular  mode  of  feeding  the  inmates  is  prescribed,  the  object 
being  to  have  as  much  variety  as  possible.  Breakfast  generally  consists 
of  potatoes,  bread,  coffee,  syrup,  and  gravy;  dinner,  of  meat  and  two 
or  three  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  supper  of  stewed  fruit,  bread,  and  tea. 

The  Superintendent  thinks  the  cottages  should  be  about  one  hundred 
feet  apart.  He  aims  to  be  personally  familiar  with  the  boys,  and  to 
know  them,  and  still  make  them  respect  him.  The  cloth  used  for  the 
boys'  clothes  costs  $1  75  per  yard,  delivered  at  Kearney.  In  addition 
to  the  industries  now  carried  on  the  Superintendent  expects  to  put  in 
machinery  for  making  socks,  to  be  operated  in  connection  with  the 
tailor  shop,  and  also  expects  to  make  all  the  syrup  needed  for  the  insti- 
tution. 

A  large  tunnel,  with  branches,  seven  feet  in  height  and  four  feet  in 
width,  runs  to  the  various  buildings.  In  this  tunnel  are  placed  the 
steam  pipes  and  electric  wires. 

Mr.  Mallalieu,  speaking  of  bathing  apparatus,  says  he  prefers  bath- 
tubs to  a  tank,  shower  baths,  or  other  arrangements.  In  each  cottage 
there  is  a  play-room,  in  which,  during  the  winter  months,  the  boys  find 
amusement  in  such  games  as  authors  and  dominoes.  The  daily  routine 
may  be  said  to  be:  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  boys  are  expected 
to  arise,  wash,  and  clothe  themselves.  At  half-past  six,  they  go  to 


24  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

breakfast,  and  at  seven  o'clock  one  half  of  their  number  go  to  the  work- 
shops, and  the  other  half  to  school.  They  so  remain  until  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  when  they  assemble  again  for  dinner  and  play.  In  the 
afternoon,  those  who  have  been  working  in  the  morning  attend  school, 
and  those  who  have  been  attending  school  take  up  their  respective  tasks. 
At  five  o'clock,  the  boys  return  from  work  or  school,  and  are  allowed  to 
play  until  six  o'clock.  Supper  is  then  served,  and  a  short  time  is 
allowed  for  recreation.  In  summer  the  boys  are  in  bed  at  nine  o'clock, 
and  in  winter  at  half-past  eight.  The  boys  disrobe,  and  march  to  their 
beds  in  the  dormitory,  by  the  side  of  which  they  kneel,  and  in  unison 
recite  a  short  prayer. 

The  beds  are  made  of  iron,  three  and  a  half  feet  in  width,  with  wire 
mattresses.  Mr.  Mallalieu  recommends  that  wooden  beds  should  be  used 
instead  of  those  of  iron,  as  the  former,  he  says,  have  a  more  home-like 
appearance.  But  nearly  all  the  Superintendents  with  whom  I  talked 
differed  with  him  on  this  point,  preferring  iron  beds,  for  the  reason  that 
it  was  easier  to  keep  them  clean.  In  the  dormitory  one  boy  acts  as 
monitor,  but  there  are  no  other  guards. 

No  restriction  is  placed  upon  the  right  of  a  boy  to  see  the  Superin- 
tendent. He  may  see  him  at  any  time  that  he  desires.  Medical  ser- 
vices are  furnished  by  a  visiting  physician,  who  receives  $80  per  month 
for  his  services,  and  furnishes  his  own  medicines. 

When  a  boy  is  about  to  be  discharged,  if  he  is  unable  to  find  a  home, 
the  school  will  pay  his  expenses  to  any  place  in  the  State  to  which  he  may 
desire  to  go.  He  is  given  a  suit  of  clothes  costing  from  $9  to  $12,  and 
sometimes  a  small  sum  of  money.  If  a  boy  is  returning  to  his  parents, 
he  is  generally  allowed  to  go  alone,  but  if  to  a  strange  place,  he  is 
accompanied  by  the  Chaplain.  If  the  boy  enters  the  home  of  a  stran- 
ger, and  is  not  treated  well,  he  is  taken  back  to  the  institution,  though 
Mr.  Mallalieu  frankly  remarked  that  sometimes  they  do  not  want  him 
back. 

From  May  fifteenth  to  October  fifteenth,  of  each  year,  all  lights  -in  the 
employes'  rooms  must  be  extinguished  at  half-past  ten  p.  M.;  and  from 
October  fifteenth  to  May  fifteenth,  at  ten  p.  M.,  unless  special  permission 
is  granted  by  the  Superintendent  for  an  extension  beyond  these  hours. 

Attendance  at  all  religious  services  on  the  Sabbath,  or  whenever  held, 
is  compulsory  on  all  persons  employed  at  the  institution,  unless  they 
are  excused  by  the  Superintendent.  The  bringing  of  intoxicating  liquors 
to  the  school,  except  for  medicinal  purposes,  is  strictly  forbidden,  and  no 
person  employed  at  the  school  is  allowed  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place,  to 
make  use  of  liquors  as  a  beverage.  The  inmates  are  not  allowed  to  receive 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS.  25 

or  use  tobacco,  and  smoking  in  the  boys'  buildings,  or  on  the  premises 
in  the  presence  of  inmates,  is,  at  all  times,  strictly  forbidden.  In  the 
case  of  an  escape,  the  Superintendent  is  empowered  to  offer  a  reward  not 
exceeding  $25,  for  the  recapture  of  the  escaped  inmate.  And  if  the 
escape  occurred  through  carelessness,  negligence,  or  violation  of  the 
rules,  the  person  in  charge  is  required  to  pay  the  reward  and  expenses. 

An  inmate,  when  received,  is  assigned  by  the  Superintendent  to  one  of 
three  classes.  The  first  class  is  composed  of  those  committed  for  burg- 
lary, obstructing  railroads,  rape,  prostitution,  or  perjury,  and  each 
inmate  in  this  class  receives  six  thousand  demerits.  In  the  second  class 
are  placed  those  committed  for  larceny,  forgery,  assault,  and  similar 
offenses,  and  they  are  each  charged  with  five  thousand  demerits.  The 
third  class  comprises  those  committed  for  vagrancy,  disorderly  conduct, 
and  similar  offenses,  and  each  inmate  in  this  class  receives  four  thou- 
sand demerits. 

The  demerits  are  canceled  by  the  merits  earned  by  good  behavior 
and  industrious  habits.  For  such  behavior  an  inmate  receives  ten 
merits  a  day,  and  for  a  perfect  record  during  the  entire  month  receives 
twenty -five  extra  merits,  and  if  the  perfect  record  is  continued  for  three 
successive  months  he  is  entitled  to  an  additional  reward  of  one  hundred 
merits.  The  furnishing  of  correct  information  to  an  officer  of  an  in- 
mate planning  to  escape  entitles  the  informer  to  one  hundred  merits. 
For  an  attempt  to  escape  an  inmate  forfeits  all  merits  earned  by  him, 
and  may  receive  such  additional  punishment  as  the  Superintendent 
may  determine.  When  all  the  demerits  have  been  canceled,  the  inmate 
is  placed  on  "  honor  "  for  one  month,  and  if  he  continues  perfect  during 
the  honor  month  he  is  entitled  to  a  leave  of  absence  for  four  months,  if 
a  suitable  home  can  be  found  for  him.  If  he  conducts  himself  properly 
this  [leave  of  absence  is  renewed  for  a  year,  and  annually  thereafter 
until  he  reaches  his  majority. 

While  all  necessary  clothing  is  furnished  to  each  inmate,  still  rela- 
tives may  send  such  articles  as  suspenders,  handkerchiefs,  slippers, 
mittens,  scarfs,  and  neckties. 

ILLINOIS    STATE    REFORM    SCHOOL. 

This  school  is  located  at  Pontiac,  Livingston  County,  and  at  the  time 
at  which  I  visited  it,  had  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  inmates. 

Its  management  is  vested  in  a  Board  of  three  (formerly  five)  Trustees, 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
for  the  term  of-  five  years.  The  law  prescribes  that  the  Board  of 
Trustees  shall  appoint  a  Superintendent,  whose  salary  shall  not  exceed 


26  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

$2,000  per  annum,  and  shall  also  appoint  such  other  officers  and  assist- 
ants as  the  wants  of  the  institution  may  from  time  to  time  require,  and 
shall  prescribe  their  duties  and  fix  their  salaries  at  reasonable  sums. 
In  this  school  boys  are  received  for  a  specified  time,  and  not  generally 
to  be  discharged  when  the  officers  think  proper.  Whenever  a  boy 
between  the  ages  of  ten  and  sixteen  years  is  convicted  before  any  Court 
of  competent  jurisdiction  of  a  crime,  punishable,  if  committed  by  an 
adult,  in  the  county  jail  or  State  Prison,  such  boy  may  be  committed, 
by  order  of  the  Court,  to  the  reform  school  for  a  term  of  not  less  than 
one  nor  more  than  five  years.  The  Board  of  Directors  thenceforth 
become  by  law  the  guardian  of  his  person,  and  are  required  to  detain 
him  during  the  term  of  his  sentence,  less  such  time  as  may  be  credited 
to  him  by  law. 

An  inmate  receives  credits  for  good  behavior,  as  prisoners  do  in  our 
prisons.  For  good  behavior  he  is  allowed  for  each  month  in  the  first 
year,  five  days;  for  each  month  in  the  second  year,  six  days;  for  each 
month  in  the  third  year,  seven  days;  for  each  month  in  the  fourth  year, 
eight  days;  and  for  each  month  in  the  fifth  year,  nine  days.  If  an 
inmate  is  degraded  for  misconduct  or  violation  of  the  rules  of  the  school, 
he  forfeits  for  each  degradation  five  days  of  his  credited  time.  Upon 
the  discharge  of  an  inmate,  he  is  provided  by  the  Superintendent  with 
a  suit  of  suitable  clothing  and  $5  in  money,  and  a  ticket  to  his  home,  if 
resident  in  the  State,  or  to  the  county  in  which  he  may  have  been  con- 
victed, at  his  option. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  school  cannot  receive  persons  unless  they 
have  been  committed  to  it  upon  a  trial  before  a  competent  Court  for 
some  offense. 

A  recent  amendment  to  the  State  Constitution  of  Illinois  prevents  the 
letting  out  of  labor  in  penal  and  reformatory  institutions  by  contract. 
The  shoe  shop,  which  constitutes  the  principal  industry  carried  on  at 
Pontiac,  has,  since  this  amendment  became  operative,  been  running  on 
State  account.  The  Legislature  of  that  State  appropriated  $30,000  to 
enable  the  plant  to  be  purchased  from  the  contractors,  and  to  furnish  a 
working  capital.  The  State  paid  $7,000  to  the  contractors  for  the  plant, 
thus  leaving  a  balance  of  $23,000  with  which  to  carry  on  the  work. 
But  the  Superintendent,  Dr.  J.  D.  Scouller,  informed  me  that  difficulty 
was  encountered  in  disposing  of  the  manufactured  product,  and  not  as 
much  profit  was  realized  from  this  mode  of  working  the  shop  as  had 
been  anticipated.  Under  this  plan  the  profits  amounted  to  only  about 
two  thirds  of  what  would  have  been  realized  under  the  old  system.  Dr. 
Scouller  did  not  desire,  however,  in  giving  the  financial  results  of  the 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  27 

two  systems  of  labor,  to  be  understood  as  advocating  a  return  to  the  con- 
tract system,  as  he  was  convinced  that  in  a  short  time  a  greater  number 
of  industries  would  be  introduced  into  the  school. 

For  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  school  the  plan  pursued  is  to  draw 
one  fourth  of  the  yearly  appropriation  in  advance  at  the  beginning  of 
the  quarter  and  deposit  the  same  with  the  Treasurer.  Claims  are  then 
paid  as  they  mature,  and  the  vouchers  and  accounts  are  transmitted  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  at  the  Capital  of  the  State. 
It  costs,  for  the  maintenance  of  the  school,  from  $42,000  to  $46,000  per 
annum.  When  I  was  there  last  year,  the  cost  per  capita  for  the  nine 
months  of  that  year,  then  past,  was  $123  69. 

The  buildings  are  lighted  by  gas  made  from  gasoline,  though  the  Su- 
perintendent strongly  favors  a  system  of  electric  illumination. 

No  particular  form  of  dress  is  prescribed  for  the  inmates.  They  are 
required  to  bathe  twice  a  week.  Their  food  is  plain  and  substantial, 
and  they  are  allowed  meat  once  a  day. 

Dr.  Scouller  prefers  for  sleeping  purposes  separate  rooms  to  large 
dormitories,  and  has  one  of  the  cottage  buildings  arranged  on  this  plan, 
but  considers  that  buildings  so  arranged  are  too  expensive  to  permit 
the  general  adoption  of  this  system.  But  the  majority  of  Superin- 
tendents with  whom  I  conversed  on  the  subject  preferred  the  large 
dormitories. 

The  branches  taught  are  the  same  as  those  prescribed  by  the  common 
school  course  of  the  State.  The  boys  are  drilled  in  military  tactics,  and 
have  a  brass  band,  which  is  in  frequent  demand  on  local  occasions. 

For  bathing,  Dr.  Scouller  prefers  large  tubs  to  separate  bathtubs. 
He  recommended  that  we  should  make  our  buildings  large  enough  for 
all  ultimate  purposes,  and  that  we  should  secure  as  much  land  as  pos- 
sible, and  that  the  dining-hall  should  be  in  a  separate  building.  For 
heating  purposes,  he  said  he  knew  of  nothing  better  than  steam. 

Friends  can  visit  the  boys  when  they  please,  and  boys  are  called  from 
their  work  in  order  that  they  may  receive  the  visits  of  their  friends. 
Every  inmate  is  allowed  to  write  regularly  the  first  Sunday  of  every 
month,  and  in  case  of  sickness  whenever  he  desires.  No  distinction  is 
made  between  the  inmates  as  to  the  amount  or  character  of  food  to  which 
they  are  entitled,  with  the  exception  that  there  is  an  "  honor  "  table,  at 
which  only  those  who  have  earned  their  release  by  good  behavior  are 
entitled  to  sit. 


28  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

Some  of  the  salaries  paid  are: 

Shopmen ..$40  per  month. 

Night  Watchman ---f^  per  m°nS' 

Teachers $50  and  $60  per  month. 

Assistant  Superintendent J80  per  month. 

Lady  teachers. ...  $25  per  month. 

The  religious  services  are  generally  conducted  by  the  Superintendent, 
but  when  a  sermon  is  delivered  by  a  minister  a  fee  of  $3  is  allowed 
therefor. 

Dr.  Scouller  has  had  long  experience  in  his  work.  He  believes  in 
kindness  and  firmness,  and  does  not  take  kindly  to  changing  the  names 
of  schools  from  reform  to  industrial,  as  the  name,  he  says,  cannot  change 
the  character  of  the  institution. 

INDIANA   REFORM    SCHOOL   FOR   BOYS. 

This  school  is  situated  on  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  about  a  mile  south- 
west of  the  village  of  Plainfield.  The  school  is  managed  by  a  Board 
of  Control,  consisting  of  three  Commissioners,  appointed .  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, holding  office  for  four  years,  and  receiving  a  salary  of  $500  per 
annum.  The  Board  appoints  the  Superintendent  and  all  the  officers. 
The  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  and 
the  buildings,  which  are  principally  built  of  brick,  number  over  thirty. 

The  school  is  conducted  on  the  cottage  or  family  system,  there  being 
twelve  cottages  in  all.  Each  family  is  in  charge  of  a  teacher,  who  is 
known  as  a  "  House  Father,"  and  if  he  is  married,  his  wife  is  also  gen- 
erally employed  as  an  assistant.  The  boys  of  all  the  cottages  eat  in  a 
general  dining-room,  but  each  family  has  its  own  playground.  The 
general  arrangement  of  the  cottages  is  this:  The  lower,  or  basement,  story 
is  used  for  a  play -room  in  bad  weather;  the  second  story  consists  of  a 
sitting-room,  wash-room,  and  officers'  rooms;  and  the  third  story  is  used 
for  dormitories.  For  the  commission  of  a  crime  boys,  in  age  from  eight 
to  sixteen  years,  may  be  committed  to  the  school,  and  for  incorrigibility, 
in  age  from  ten  to  seventeen  years.  All  boys  are  committed  until  they 
attain  their  majority,  and  none  are  ever  discharged  until  that  time. 
But  if  the  authorities  of  the  school  consider  it  advisable,  a  boy  may,  for 
good  conduct,  be  released  on  " furlough"  or  "tickets  of  leave,"  and 
these  favors  may  be  renewed  or  recalled,  as  the  boy's  conduct  may 
determine. 

The  aim  of  the  school  is  to  teach  every  boy  a  trade,  and  among  the 
different  trades  taught  are  plumbing,  brickmaking,  steamfitting,  plaster- 
ing, bricklaying,  cooking,  breadmaking,  shoemaking,  tailoring,  garden- 
ing, farming,  and  floriculture;  and  in  teaching  a  trade  the  primary  aim 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  29 

is  to  instruct  rather  than  to  make  the  labor  of  the  inmate  productive. 
The  management  is  strongly  opposed  to  the  use  of  machinery,  or  to 
teaching  trades  that  must  be  followed  in  crowded  shops.  Each  boy 
attends  school  one  half  the  day,  and  works  during  the  remaining  half, 
and  by  this  course  one  half  of  the  inmates  are  attending  school  in  the 
forenoon  and  the  other  half  in  the  afternoon.  The  schools  are  con- 
ducted in  the  same  manner  as  the  public  schools  of  cities,  and  no  vaca- 
tions are  given  save  to  the  higher  grades,  and  to  them  only  when  the 
teaching  of  trades  in  the  busy  season  may  require  their  labor.  During 
the  evening  the  dull  hours  are  whiled  away  by  music,  recitations,  and 
various  amusements.  The  boys  are  provided  with  large  playgrounds 
and  an  extensive  gymnasium. 

In  selecting  officers  the  rule  that  "  the  blind  cannot  lead  the  blind" 
is  applied,  and  hence  no  person  is  employed  at  the  institution  whose  life 
is  not  suitable  as  a  model  for  the  inmates.  In  securing  discipline,  in 
suppressing  bad  dispositions  and  cultivating  obedience,  in  breaking  up 
evil  habits  and  forming  good,  the  first  object  to  be  always  kept  in  view, 
the  officers  say,  is  good  treatment,  and  precept  must  be  accompanied  by 
example.  A  boy  on  his  arrival  expects  harsh  treatment,  and  is  sur- 
prised when  he  finds  that  he  is  cordially  welcomed,  and  that  the  labor 
that  he  is  called  upon  to  perform  is  not  irksome,  and  that  he  is  allowed 
reasonable  time  for  play  and  amusement. 

Every  boy  may  report  at  any  time  any  imposition  on  the  part  of  an 
officer,  and  if  an  officer  mistreats  a  boy  he  is  discharged. 

The  cost  for  each  inmate  averages  $120  per  annum.  The  salaries  paid 
are: 

Superintendent $150  per  month. 

Matron $50  per  month. 

Clerk $70  per  month. 

House  Fathers $30  to  $55  per  month. 

Assistant  Superintendent $70  per  month. 

Florist $35  per  month. 

Superintendent  of  Live  Stock  and  Teams .$25  per  month. 

Night  Watchman $20  per  month. 

Lady  Teachers $30  per  month. 

Lady  having  charge  of  boys'  kitchen $25  per  month. 

Lady  having  charge  of  boys'  dining-room $18  per  month. 

Lady  having  charge  of  officers'  dining-room $20  per  month. 

Housekeeper  of  main  building $20  per  month. 

CINCINNATI    HOUSE    OF    REFUGE. 

This  institution  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  inmates  in  1850,  and 
is  situated  about  four  miles  from  the  Post  Office  in  the  city.  It  receives 
both  boys  and  girls,  and  is  arranged  somewhat  on  the  congregate  plan, 


30  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

although  the  inmates  are  separated  as  much  as  possible  into  classes. 
The  boys  are  divided  into  four  classes  or  families,  and  the  girls  into  two, 
each  of  the  separate  families  having  separate  schools,  dining  and  wash 
rooms,  playgrounds,  workshops,  and  dormitories.  The  site  consists 
of  nine  and  seven  eighths  acres  of  land,  and  five  of  these  are  inclosed 
on  three  sides  by  a  stone  wall,  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  on  the  fourth 
side  by  the  main  building. 

The  main  building  is  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  feet  in  length, 
four  stories  in  height,  besides  the  basement.  One  wing  of  the  building 
is  devoted  to  the  boys'  department,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  twelve 
dormitories.  In  the  basement  is  a  bathing  or  swimming  tank,  in  size 
twelve  by  fifty  feet,  and  deep  enough  for  swimming  purposes.  Besides 
this,  there  are  in  the  basement  also  twenty-six  dressing-rooms. 

The  other  wing,  devoted  to  the  girls'  department,  contains  seventy- 
two  dormitories,  and  also  nursery,  sewing-room,  school-room,  store-room, 
girls'  hospital,  and  one  large  sleeping-room.  The  basement  contains 
wash-rooms,  bath-rooms,  and  playground. 

The  chapel  building  is  connected  with  the  main  building  by  covered 
passage  ways,  and  is  situated  in  the  rear  of  the  main  building.  On  the 
first  floor  of  the  chapel  building  are  situated  the  bakery,  kitchen,  three 
dining-rooms,  and  four  store-rooms;  and  on  the  second  floor,  the  chapel, 
a  school-room,  and  a  reading-room.  The  chapel  is  fifty-six  feet  wide 
and  sixty  feet  long.  There  are  two  shop  buildings.  The  main  one  is 
one  hundred  and  forty-two  feet  in  length  and  thirty-seven  feet  in  width, 
and  contains  on  the  first  floor  engine  and  fuel-rooms,  covered  play- 
grounds, wash-rooms,  etc.,  and  on  the  second  and  third  floors,  five  work- 
shops and  reading-room,  and  a  dormitory  containing  forty-six  rooms. 
The  other  shop  building  is  eighty  feet  in  length  and  forty-four  in  width. 
The  ground  floor  of  this  building  contains  two  covered  playgrounds, 
and  two  wash-rooms.  The  second  floor  contains  a  shop-room  and  a 
large  sleeping-room.  The  third  floor  contains  a  school-room  for  the 
smaller  boys,  a  dormitory  for  these  boys,  and  two  bed-rooms  for  officers. 
There  is  also  a  school  building,  eighty  feet  in  length,  forty  in  width,  two 
stories  in  height,  and  built  of  stone  and  brick.  The  lower  story  is  used 
as  play-room  and  gymnasium.  In  the  upper  story  are  placed  four 
school-rooms,  provided  with  sliding  partitions,  so  that  the  four  rooms 
may  be  thrown  into  two  rooms  or  into  one. 

Light  is  supplied  by  gas  made  upon  the  premises,  and  steam  is  used 
for  heating  purposes. 

There  is  accommodation  in  the  buildings  for  three  hundred  and  fifty 
inmates,  and  the  necessary  number  of  officers. 


REFORMATOKY   AND    PENAL   INSTITUTIONS.  31 

Last  year  some  of  the  Directors,  with  the  Assistant  Superintendent, 
made  a  visit  to  the  House  of  Refuge  at  Rochester,  Xew  York,  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  its  school  of  technology;  and  after  a  thorough 
investigation  they  recommended  that  system  for  adoption  by  the  Board 
of  the  Cincinnati  school.  In  the  school  at  Rochester  are  taught  black- 
smithing,  carpentering,  painting,  wood-turning,  foundry  work,  brick- 
laying, boot  and  shoemaking,  and  tailoring.  But  in  the  Cincinnati 
school  it  was  not  deemed  expedient,  owing  to  the  smaller  number  of 
inmates,  to  introduce  so  many  trades,  the  average  number  of  inmates 
at  the  Cincinnati  school  being  about  three  hundred.  The  first  trade 
introduced  in  the  industrial  training  school  was  carpentry. 

Employment  for  the  inmates  is  found  in  the  domestic  work  of  the 
institution.  All  the  clothing,  boots,  and  shoes  used  in  the  institution 
are  made  by  the  inmates.  The  girls  have  found  employment  in  the 
laundry,  kitchen,  sewing-room,  and  in  general  housework. 

PENNSYLVANIA   REFORM    SCHOOL. 

This  school  was  formerly  known  as  the  "  House  of  Refuge  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,"  and  was  at  first  conducted  on  the  congregate  system, 
being  opened  in  1854.  Its  first  location  was  in  Allegheny  City.  But  in 
time  the  managers  were  convinced  that  the  school  could  be  much  im- 
proved by  the  adoption  of  the  family  system.  The  adoption  of  this 
system  required  a  location  where  sufficient  ground  could  be  obtained, 
and  in  1876  the  institution  was  removed  to  Morganza,  its  present  site. 
The  school  receives  both  boys  and  girls.  The  inmates  are  classified 
into  eight  families,  each  of  which  is  under  the  control  of  a  First  and 
Second  Officer,  and  a  Matron. 

A  daily  record  book  is  kept  by  the  First  Officer,  in  which  he  notes  all 
misconduct  and  punishment.  This  record  is  read  every  evening  to  the 
inmates  in  the  school-room.  The  officer  then  asks  if  any  desire  to 
appeal  from  the  record,  and  if  so,  the  appellant  raises  his  hand,  and 
states  his  case.  If  the  officer  is  satisfied  with  the  record  after  such 
statement,  but  the  offender  still  wishes  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  Super- 
intendent, the  word  "  appeal "  must  be  written  opposite  the  record.  The 
Superintendent  meets  each  family  in  its  school-room  as  often,  at  least,  as 
once  a  month,  and  determines  the  justice  of  the  record.  The  appeal 
may  be  sustained,  but  if  made  improperly,  and  without  any  reasonable 
ground,  it  will  subject  the  offender,  if  the  Superintendent  thinks  the 
case  justifies  it,  to  a  loss  of  a  still  larger  number  of  demerits. 

The  management  seeks  to  avoid  every  indication  of  prison  life,  and 
is  successful  in  so  doing. 


32  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

Officers  are  not  permitted  to  smoke  during  office  hours,  or  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  inmates;  and,  unless  ordered  by  the  attending  physician, 
spirituous  liquors  are  not  allowed  to  be  kept  or  used  by  any  employe. 
Gambling  in  any  form  is  strictly  prohibited. 

The  plan  of  giving  merits  and  demerits  is  similar  to  that  followed  in 
other  schools.  An  inmate  is  entitled  to  ten  merits  for  each  day  of  per- 
fect conduct,  and  for  continued  good  conduct  during  four  successive 
months  an  inmate  is  entitled  to  a  credit  of  two  hundred  additional  merits. 
When  an  inmate  has  earned  six  thousand  merits  he  is  entitled  to  release 
on  parole,  as  soon  as  he  can  be  placed  in  a  suitable  home.  Demerits 
are  given  for  want  of  attention  to  study,  uncleanly  habits,  and  improper 
conduct,  and  for  certain  offenses  the  number  of  demerits  that  an  inmate 
shall  receive  is  prescribed.  For  instance,  for  absconding  the  punishment 
is  one  thousand  demerits;  for  conniving  at  escape,  five  hundred  demerits; 
for  theft,  eighty  demerits;  for  profanity,  obscene  conduct  or  language, 
fifty  demerits;  for  falsehood,  thirty  demerits;  for  fighting,  or  destruction 
of  clothing,  property,  or  tools,  twenty  demerits;  and  for  disobedience, 
quarreling,  use  of  tobacco,  or  talking  while  in  line,  ten  demerits.  For 
other  offenses  the  Superintendent  fixes  the  number  of  demerits  to  be 
given,  and  in  aggravated  cases  inflicts  corporal  punishment.  No  officer, 
however,  except  in  cases  where  delay  might  prove  dangerous  to  the  per- 
son or  destructive  of  discipline,  is  allowed  to  inflict  corporal  punishment, 
without  first  consulting  the  Superintendent  and  obtaining  his  permission. 

Great  care  is  used  to  impress  upon  the  offender's  mind  the  justice  of 
the  punishment,  and  that  it  is  not  arbitrarily  inflicted.  Only  light  pun- 
ishments are  given  for  first  offenses,  but  when  they  are  repeated,  and 
insubordination  is  marked,  the  punishment  is  prompt,  and  is  intended  to 
impress  the  offender  with  the  conviction  that  no  matter  what  the  cost 
discipline  and  order  must  be  preserved. 

Among  the  different  committees  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Managers 
is  a  Visiting  Committee,  composed  of  two  members.  When  first  ap- 
pointed at  the  annual  meeting,  the  member  first  named  on  the  com- 
mittee serves  for  one  month,  and  acts  as  Chairman.  The  second  named 
member  serves  for  two  months,  and  acts  as  Chairman  for  the  second 
month.  As  a  member  retires  from  the  committee  monthly,  the  next 
member  in  alphabetical  rotation  takes  his  place,  and  each  member  of 
the  committee  is  Chairman  for  the  last  month  during  which  he  serves. 
It  is  the  duty  of  this  committee  to  visit  the  school  the  first  secular  day 
of  each  month,  and  also  on  the  fifteenth  of  each  month,  for  the  purpose 
of  conferring  with  the  Superintendent,  examining  all  persons  received 


REFORMATORY   AMD    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  33 

by  the  school,  and  preparing  the  business  for  the  next  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  school  is  a  special  book  kept  by  the  Super- 
intendent, in  which  an  account  is  opened  with  each  officer  of  the  school. 
On  the  debit  side  of  the  account  is  placed  every  item  of  inattention, 
want  of  promptness,  absence  without  leave,  or  other  irregularity.  On 
the  credit  side  is  noted  any  specially  commendable  act.  If  the  page  is 
entirely  blank,  it  indicates  that  the  officer's  duties  have  been  satisfacto- 
rily discharged.  Before  the  record  is  complete,  an  appeal  may  be  taken 
to  the  Superintendent,  and  this  record  is  accessible  at  all  times  to  the 
Board  of  Managers. 

Officers  are  not  granted  leave  of  absence  for  a  longer  period  than  ten 
days  without  deduction  of  salary;  and  without  special  permission  no 
officer  must  be  absent  after  ten  o'clock  p.  M.  Officers  are  directed  not  to 
converse  about  the  affairs  of  the  school  when  inmates  are  present  or 
within  hearing,  and  officers  when  on  duty  are  directed  not  to  converse 
with  each  other  except  on  official  business.  They  are  expected  to  give 
their  whole  time  and  attention  to  their  duties,  and  are  not  allowed  to 
read  books  or  papers  while  on  duty  or  during  business  hours.  On  a 
matter  of  interest  in  the  management  of  institutions  it  may  be  observed 
that  the  rule  in  this  school  is,  that  while  the  Superintendent  does  not 
attempt  to  interfere  with  the  social  relations  of  officers,  or  control  in  any 
way  their  personal  affairs,  yet  if  they  allow  such  matters  to  interfere 
with  the  discipline  of  the  institution,  and  do  not  settle  them  promptly, 
the  Superintendent  takes  the  responsibility  of  deciding  them,  and  his 
decision  must  be  adopted  as  a  final  settlement. 

The  salaries  paid  at  this  institution  are: 

Superintendent $2,400  per  annum. 

Clerk $900  per  annum. 

Steward $720  per  annum. 

Engineer $1 ,000  per  annum. 

Two  assistants $600  each  per  annum. 

Hospital  Steward $360  per  annum. 

Watchman $420  per  annum. 

Carpenter $540  per  annum. 

Housekeepers  (female) $200  per  annum. 

First  Officer $45  87  to  $52  50  per  month. 

Second  Officer $30  00  to  $33  34  per  month. 

HOUSE  OF  REFUGE,  PHILADELPHIA,  PENNSYLVANIA. 

In  1826  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia  by  some  of 
its  benevolent  citizens  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  school  for  the 
vagrant,  disobedient,  and  neglected  children  of  that  city.  A  committee 

3D 


34  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

was  appointed  to  prepare  a  constitution  and  secure  from  the  Legislature 
an  Act  of  incorporation,  and  in  that  same  year  the  House  of  Refuge  was 
incorporated.  The  preamble  to  the  Act  of  incorporation  states  that  the 
object  of  the  school  is  "  for  the  humane  and  laudable  purpose  of  reform- 
ing juvenile  delinquents,  and  separating  them  from  society  and  inter- 
course of  old  and  experienced  offenders." 

This  institution  is  supported  by  donations  and  bequests,  life  and 
annual  subscriptions,  by  its  earnings,  and  appropriations  by  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  City  of  Philadelphia.  A  majority  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  are  elected  by  the  contributors,  and  three  of  their  number 
are  appointed  by  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas,  and  two  by  the  Mayor. 

The  daily  routine  is  apportioned  by  devoting  three  hours  to  school, 
six  hours  to  work,  one  and  a  half  hours  to  meals,  four  hours  to  recrea- 
tion, half  an  hour  to  morning  and  evening  devotions,  and  nine  hours  to 
balmy  sleep. 

The  average  number  of  inmates  is  six  hundred  and  upwards.  Until 
recently  the  average  time  of  detention  has  been  about  fifteen  months, 
but  now  the  term  has  been  extended  to  about  two  years.  The  schools 
are  under  the  charge  of  lady  teachers  selected  not  only  for  their  knowl- 
edge, but  also  for  their  kind  and  gentle  disposition.  One  evening  in 
each  week  is  devoted  to  instruction  in  vocal  music. 

When  an  inmate  is  received  he  is  first  bathed  and  dressed  in  clean 
garments,  and  then  is  taken  down,  from  his  statements,  the  history  of 
his  life.  One  reason  for  this  latter  step  is  to  separate  the  depraved  from 
those  who  have  strayed  but  slightly  from  virtue's  path.  The  children 
assemble  every  morning  and  evening  in  their  class-rooms,  and  after  a 
short  portion  of  the  Scriptures  is  read,  a  hymn  is  sung  and  a  prayer 
offered.  The  children  go  to  chapel  service  twice  every  Sunday. 

One  of  the  officers  of  the  institution  is  the  visiting  agent,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  children,  find  proper  homes  for  them, 
and  exercise  subsequent  care  over  all  children  that  leave  the  house, 
whether  they  are  indentured,  put  to  service  of  any  kind,  simply  dis- 
charged, or  returned  to  parents  or  friends. 

Among  the  industries  carried  on  are  brushmaking,  wicker  work,  and 
tailoring.  The  institution  receives  both  boys  and  girls. 

No  inmate  is  allowed  to  use  tobacco,  and  no  intoxicating  liquors  are 
permitted,  upon  any  pretense  whatever,  unless  ordered  by  the  Physician, 
to  be  brought  into  any  part  of  the  buildings.  The  gates  are  closed  at 
eleven  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  no  officer  or  employe  is  allowed,  without  writ- 
ten permission  of  the  Superintendent,  to  be  absent  after  that  hour. 
Such  permission  can  be  granted  to  only  one  officer  at  any  one  time,  and 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  35 

the  Superintendent  is  required  to  report  the  grant  of  such  permission, 
with  the  reasons  therefor,  to  the  Board. 

The  time  allowed  for  work,  play,  meals,  attending  school,  and  retiring 
for  sleep,  is  divided  into  periods  as  follows: 

From  April  First  to  November  First — Seven  Months. 

Time  to  rise 5.30  A.  M.       0£™Z*. 

Washing  and  exercise 5.30  to    6.00  .30 

Devotional  exercises 6.00  to    6.15  .15 

Breakfast 6.15  to    6.45  .30 

Play 6.45to    7.00  .15 

Work,  with  intermission  of  ten  minutes 7.00  to  12.00  5.00 

Recess,  washing  for  dinner 12.00  to  12.10  .10 

Dinner 12.10  to  12.40  .30 

Play 12.40to    1.00  .20 

Work 1.00  to    3.00  2.00 

Play  and  washing  for  school 3.00  to    3.30  .30 

School 3.30to    6.30  3.00 

Supper 6.30to    7.00  .30 

Play — Singing  lessons,  etc 7.00  to    7.45  .45 

Devotional  exercises. 7.45  to    8.00  .15 

To  bed S.OOto    8.15  .15 

Bed 8.15to    5.30  9.15 

School 3.00  hours. 

Work 7.00  hours. 

Meals 1.30  hours. 

Devotions .30    hour. 

Play 2.45  hours. 

Sleep 9.15  hours. 


Total 24.00  hours. 

From  November  First  to  April  First — Five  Months. 

Time  to  rise 6  A.  M.  oJ^fed. 

Washing  and  exercise  in  yard 6.00  to    6.30  .30 

Devotional  services 6.30  to    6.45  .15 

Breakfast 6.45  to    7.15  .30 

Play  in  yards 7.15  to    7.30  .15 

Work,  with  intermission  of  ten  minutes 7.30  to  12.00  4.30 

Recess,  washing  for  dinner 12.00  to  12.10  .10 

Dinner 12.10  to  12.40  .30 

Play  in  yards 12.40  to    1.00  .20 

Work 1.00  to    2.30  1.30 

Play  and  washing  for  school 2.30  to    3.00  .30 

School 3.00to    6.00  3.00 

Supper 6.00to    6.30  .30 

Play — Singing  lessons,  etc. 6.30  to    7.45  1.15 

Devotional  exercises 7.45  to    8.00  .1 5 

Marching  to  dormitories,  preparing  for  bed 8.00  to    8.15  .15 

Bed.                                                                             .  8.15  to    6.00  9.45 


36  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

School.    _______  .....  _________________________________  3.00  hours. 

Work  _________________________________________________  6.00  hours. 

Meals  ________________________________________________  1-30  hours. 

Devotions  ___________________  .....  ____________________  .30    hour. 

Play  _______  .....  _____________________________________  3.1  5  hours. 

Sleep  ________________________________________________  9.45  hours. 

Total  .  .  .....  .  .....  .  ......  __________________________  24.00  hours. 

The  beginning  of  each  of  these  periods  is  denoted  by  the  ringing  of 
a  bell. 

The  Board  of  Managers  have  decided  to  change  the  system  from  the 
congregate  to  the  family  system,  and  for  that  purpose  have  purchased 
three  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of  land,  distant  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  center  of  the  business  portion  of  Philadelphia.  A  committee  of 
the  Board  visited  the  leading  schools  in  the  United  States  conducted  on 
the  family  plan,  and  a  member  of  the  Board  visited  the  reform  schools  of 
England  and  France.  When  the  new  buildings  are  completed  instruc- 
tion will  be  given  in  agricultural  and  horticultural  pursuits,  and  in  the 
elements  of  such  trades  as  bricklaying,  carpentering,  plastering,  print- 
ing, and  woodturning. 

These  new  buildings  are  now  in  process  of  erection,  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  from  two  to  three  years  more  will  be  required  for  their  com- 
pletion. This  institution  has  been  richly  endowed  by  the  philanthropic 
citizens  of  Philadelphia,  having  received  many  donations  of  $100,000, 
and  of  even  larger  sums. 

LYMAN    SCHOOL   FOR   BOYS. 

This  school  is  located  at  Westborough,  Massachusetts,  and  now  is 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  T.  F.  Chapin.  At  the  time  that  I 
visited  the  school  it  had  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  inmates. 

A  school  for  manual  training  has  been  recently  organized,  and  every 
boy  in  the  institution  receives  instruction  for  one  and  one  half  hours 
each  week  in  the  manual  training  room.  The  system  used  is  the 
Slojd,  or  Swedish,  and  is  designed  to  teach  the  boy  to  think.  In  one  of 
the  schools  a  class  has  undertaken  the  study  of  algebra.  Instruction 
is  also  given  in  modeling  and  music,  and  it  is  said  that  the  boy  who 
does  not  sing  is  an  exception. 

The  salaries  paid  are  as  follows: 


Theodore  F.  Chapin,  Superintendent  .  .  *i 

Mrs.  T.  F.  Chapin,  Matron  _______  ......  ._['_'_  ' 

George  F.  Bullard,  Assistant  Superintendent  500 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  F.  Howe,  Charge  of  Family  .  .  '.  70(3 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Norton,  Charge  of  Family  _  800 


REFORMATORY    AND    PEXAL    INSTITUTIONS.  37 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  T.  Swift,  Charge  of  Family $700 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  E.  Robertson,  Charge  of  Family 700 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Keith,  Charge  of  Family 750 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  C.  Jones,  Charge  of  Family  __ 700 

F.  E.  Corey,  M.D.,  Physician 150 

Miss  Carrie  Dana,  Teacher 300 

Miss  Emma  F.  Newton,  Teacher 300 

Miss  Bertha  C.  Leech,  Teacher 300 

Miss  Flora  E.  Strout,  Teacher 300 

Miss  Flora  E.  Loomis,  Teacher 300 

Miss  Ella  E.  Glover,  Teacher 300 

M.  E.  Howard,  Teacher  of  Printing 400 

Miss  Mary  E .  Greeley,  Seamstress 250 

Miss  Mary  E.  Custer,  Nurse 250 

Mrs.  George  F.  Bullard,  Housekeeper,  Superintendent's  house.  300 

Miss  Mabel  B.  Mitchell,  Assistant  Matron 250 

Miss  Mae  E.  Hartford,  Assistant  Matron 250 

Mrs.  J.  J.  Donovan,  Assistant  Matron 250 

Miss  Lizzie  J.  Parkhurst,  Assistant  Matron 250 

Mrs.  B.  F.  McFarland,  Assistant  Matron 200 

Mrs.  Edith  Howard,  Assistant  Matron 250 

J.  W.  Clark,  Engineer 900 

J.  H.  Cummings,  Overseer  _ 500 

J.  T.  Perkins,  Steward 400 

J.  J.  Donovan,  Farmer 400 

B.  F.  McFarland,  Assistant  Farmer 250 

Harlan  M.  Thompson,  Watchman 400 

The  two  principal  points  that  the  Superintendent,  Mr.  Chapin,  called 
to  my  attention  were  the  introduction  of  the  manual  training  school, 
and  the  guarding  against  placing  too  large  a  number  of  inmates  in  the 
same  building.  He  thought  the  proper  number  that  should  be  cared 
for  in  one  cottage  was  twenty-five. 

REFORM    SCHOOL   OF   THE   DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 

This  school  was  established  some  twenty-one  years  ago,  and  had  from 
the  time  of  its  organization  up  to  the  thirtieth  of  June,  1889,  received 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-six  boys. 

Boys  are  not  discharged  by  the  Trustees  until  proper  homes  can  be 
found  for  them;  and  if  the  boys  are  unable  to  find  suitable  homes 
through  their  own  efforts,  or  those  of  friends,  the  Trustees  and  Superin- 
tendent make  every  effort  to  find  such  a  home. 

The  school  has  three  family  buildings,  and  the  officers  believe  that 
not  more  than  fifty  boys  should  be  placed  in  the  same  building,  although 
they  ha-ve  been  forced  at  times  when  overcrowded  to  place  a  larger  num- 
ber in  a  cottage.  The  small  boys  are  now  placed  in  the  main  building, 
where  they  are  under  the  immediate  surveillance  of  the  Superintendent 


38  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

and  Matron.     From  the  organization  of  the  school  only  nine  deaths 
have  occurred,  and  not  a  single  death  has  been  recorded  for  the  last  two 

years. 

Among  some  of  the  salaries  paid  are  those  of  Superintendent,  $1,500 
per  annum;  Assistant  Superintendent,  $900  per  annum;  Matron,  $600 
per  annum;  Matrons  of  families,  $180  per  annum;  foremen,  $660  per 
annum;  farmer,  $480  per  annum;  cook,  shoemaker,  and  tailor,  each  $300 
per  annum;  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  Board  of  Trustees,  $600  per 
annum. 

Formerly  the  boilers  in  use  at  the  institution  were  placed  in  the  sev- 
eral buildings,  but  now  they  are  situated  in  a  boiler-house  placed  at 
some  distance  from  the  buildings,  and  steam  is  conveyed  underground 
by  connecting  pipes  to  the  various  buildings  where  required.  By  this 
arrangement  the  possibility  of  danger  from  explosion  of  boilers  is 
avoided. 

During  the  past  year  the  school  received  $3,143  40  from  the  labor  of 
the  inmates  and  other  sources.  Of  this  amount  the  sum  of  $1,702  47 
was  received  from  the  chair  shop;  $443  73  from  farm  products;  $667  5p 
from  the  greenhouse;  $257  67  from  the  paper  box  account,  and  the 
balance,  $72  03,  from  other  sources. 

Owing  to  the  crowded  condition  of  the  school,  the  President  of  the 
Board  has  frequently  during  the  past  year  been  compelled  to  notify  the 
Courts  to  refrain  from  committing  boys  to  the  institution.  The  school 
has  no  power  to  recall  a  discharged  inmate  during  his  minority,  who 
should  be  returned  for  want  of  a  proper  home  or  other  sufficient  cause. 
A  bill  was  introduced  at  the  last  session  of  Congress  to  secure  this  result, 
but  failed  to  become  a  law. 

It  is  expected  that  each  boy,  when  free  from  sickness,  will  spend  a 
portion  of  each  school  day  in  study,  and  without  the  permission  of  the 
Superintendent  none  are  excused  from  attendance  upon  one  daily  ses- 
sion. The  books  in  use  are  those  provided  for  the  common  schools  of 
the  district,  but  several  classes  in  the  higher  grades  are  taught  algebra, 
geometry,  and  history.  The  routine  of  daily  study  adopted  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  is  followed  as  nearly  as  practicable,  and  boys  can  only  be 
discharged  on  their  "Honor  Badge,"  and  after  having  gained  some 
knowledge  of  arithmetic,  and  possessing  the  ability  to  read  and  write 
and  also  recite  the  tables  of  multiplication. 

A  committee  was  appointed  from  the  Board  of  Trustees,  on  August 
29, 1889,  to  visit  the  House  of  Refuge,  at  Philadelphia,  and  at  Randall's 
Island,  New  York,  and  as  it  may  prove  interesting  I  cull  from  their 
report  the  following: 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  39 

At  the  House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia,  the  principal  industries  are 
brushmaking,  tailoring,  shoemaking,  and  caning  chairs. 

The  population  of  this  institution  on  the  day  we  were  there  was  six 
hundred  and  fifty  boys  and  one  hundred  and  seventy  girls. 

The  salaries  paid  amount  to  $32,000  per  annum. 

The  salary  of  the  Superintendent  is  $3,000  per  annum,  and  the  Super- 
intendents of  the  Shops,  from  $1,000  to  $1,200  per  annum. 

The  teachers  receive  on  an  average  $30  per  month,  but  are  not 
employed  in  any  other  capacity,  and  teach  three  hours  per  day  five 
days  during  the  week. 

An  officer  is  employed  in  this  institution,  designated  as  an  agent, 
who  receives  a  salary  of  $1,500  per  annum,  whose  duty  it  is  to  find 
homes  for  discharged  boys,  and  to  visit  them  at  their  homes  at  least 
once  a  month. 

Under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  the  institution  has  con- 
trol over  its  inmates  until  they  are  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  if  their 
homes  are  found  at  any  time  to  be  improper,  or  if  they  are  liable  to  be 
led  astray  or  are  not  doing  well,  they  can  at  any  time  be  recalled  to  the 
institution. 

A  similar  law,  we  are  informed,  applies  to  nearly  every  institution  of 
a  like  character  throughout  the  United  States,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Reform  School  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  although  the  attention 
of  Congress  was  called  to  this  matter,  and  a  bill  introduced  at  its  last 
session,  giving  our  school  this  authority,  it  failed  to  become  a  law. 

After  leaving  Philadelphia,  your  committee  proceeded  to  the  House 
of  Refuge  at  Randall's  Island,  New  York. 

The  population  of  this  institution  on  the  day  your  committee  arrived 
there  was  five  hundred  and  seventy-nine  boys  and  eighty-five  girls. 

This  institution  employs  seventy-two  officers  and  employes,  including 
twenty  teachers. 

The  salary  of  the  Superintendent  is  $3,500,  and  the  salary  of  the 
principal  teacher  is  $2,000  per  annum,  and  the  salaries  of  the  assistant 
teachers  average  from  $600  to  $800  per  annum.  They  are  employed,  in 
teaching  and  other  occupations,  from  seven  to  eight  hours  per  day. 

The  State  appropriates  about  $120,000  per  annum,  and  the  proceeds 
from  the  work  of  the  inmates  average  $20,000  per  annum;  making  a 
total  of  about  $140,000  per  annum,  to  be  expended  for  the  current 
expenses  of  the  institution. 

Each  of  the  institutions  that  we  visited  had  a  fine  band,  made  up 
from  the  inmates,  which  was  not  only  a  great  addition  to  the  institu- 
tion, but  a  great  advantage  to  the  boys  composing  the  band,  as  the 
committee  was  informed  that  these  boys  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
lucrative  employment  in  the  line  of  their  calling  after  leaving  the  insti- 
tution. We  respectfully  recommend  that  a  band  be  also  attached  to 
our  school.  The  instruments  can  be  purchased  at  an  expense  not  to 
exceed  $400,  and  an  instructor  can  be  obtained  at  a  compensation  of 
$600  per  annum. 

The  House  of  Refuge  at  Philadelphia,  after  an  experience  of  many 
years,  has  finally  come  to  the  conclusion  that  bars  and  bolts,  high  fences, 
stone  walls,  and  cells  are  things  that  belong  to  the  past  and  have  no 
part  in  the  reformation  of  juveniles. 

They  are  about  to  abandon  their  present  "location,  and  have  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  about  twenty  miles  from  the  City 


40  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

of  Philadelphia,  paying  therefor  $52,000,  and  there  has  been  appropri- 
ated for  the  erection  of  the  necessary  buildings  the  sum  of  $750,000, 
making  a  total  of  over  $800,000  expended  or  to  be  expended  by  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  upon  this  one  institution  tor  the  reformation  of 
boys  and  girls. 

After  careful  examination  we  find  the  industries  of  these  schools  to 
be  similar  to  those  of  our  own. 

In  conferring  with  the  Superintendents  of  these  institutions,  they 
strongly  advised  that  as  little  machinery  as  possible  be  used  and  that 
no  trades  be  taught  which  require  the  use  of  much  machinery,  for  the 
reason  that  when  the  inmates  leave  the  institution  they  have  no  machin- 
ery of  their  own  and  must  depend  upon  their  own  hands.  Therefore, 
they  should  be  taught  to  work  with  their  hands,  without  the  aid  of 
machinery.  Of  course  some  machinery  is  necessary. 

In  some  institutions  bricklaying,  plastering,  and  carpentering  are 
taught  to  a  large  extent.  Practical  mechanics  are  employed  in  daily 
teaching  boys  by  building  temporary  houses  and  structures,  and  then 
tearing  them  down  and  rebuilding  others  of  a  different  character,  using 
the  same  material  over  and  over. 

It  is  true  that  in  this  work  there  is  no  pecuniary  profit,  but  reform 
schools  are  not  established  for  the  purpose  of  making  money,  but  for  the 
education  and  benefit  of  the  inmates,  to  enable  them  to  be  self-support- 
ing when  they  go  out  into  the  world. 

After  giving  the  matter  careful  consideration,  your  committee  respect- 
fully recommends  that  as  large  a  class  of  boys  as  possible  be  employed 
in  making  shoes  and  clothing  for  the  school.  It  is  thought  possible 
that  the  school  can  obtain  work  from  large  clothing  establishments  in 
this  city  and  in  Baltimore,  and  it  might  be  worth  trying. 

All  the  shoes  needed  at  the  school  can  be  and  should  be  made  upon 
the  premises. 

Caning  chairs  is  an  occupation  only,  and  not  a  trade.  The  boys  can 
be  employed  at  it,  and  a  small  revenue  derived  from  it,  but  it  is  of  little 
use  to  the  boys  when  they  leave  the  school. 

In  addition  to  these,  the  most  inexpensive  industries  that  can  be 
established  would  be  bricklaying,  plastering,  and  carpentering.  These 
trades  could  be  readily  taught  in  the  manner  above  suggested,  and 
would  be  most  useful  callings  for  the  boys. 

The  carpentering  would  also  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  school,  as 
the  boys  engaged  in  this  work,  being  proficient  in  it,  could  do  all  the 
carpentering  which  will  be  required  at  the  school,  which  would  in  the 
end  amount  to  a  great  deal  and  save  a  large  sum  of  money  which  is 
now  expended. 

The  boys  engaged  in  bricklaying  could  also  be  of  use  in  making  cul- 
verts, drains,  and  other  work  upon  the  premises,  and  the  boys  learning 
the  trade  of  plastering  could  also  be  made  useful. 

MINNESOTA  STATE  REFORM  SCHOOL. 

This  school  is  at  present  situated  in  St.  Paul,  but  it  has  been  found 
desirable  to  move  away  from  the  city,  and  a  site  has  been  secured  at  Red 
Wing.  This  school  is  conducted  on  the  family  system,  and  in  discipline 
and  management  is  similar  to  the  other  institutions  of  this  character 
previously  described. 


REFORMATORY   AND    PEXAL    INSTITUTIONS.  41 

In  building  their  new  school  at  Red  Wing  the  management  have  been 
able  to  profit  by  observation  of  other  institutions  and  all  that  experience 
has  taught  to  be  necessary  in  their  own.  The  Superintendent,  Mr.  Brown, 
and. the  architect  of  the  school,  Mr.  Warren  B.  Dunnell,  made  a  tour  of 
the  Eastern  States  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  such  improvements  as 
might  be  found  desirable  in  buildings  of  the  most  approved  construc- 
tion. 

The  architect  resides  at  Minneapolis,  and  the  Superintendent  kindly 
offered  to  accompany  me  to  his  office  and  allow  me  to  inspect  their  plans. 
I  spent  most  of  the  time  in  conversation  with  the  Superintendent  and 
architect  in  talking  of  the  plan  best  adapted  for  the  purposes  of  such 
an  institution,  and  have  brought  with  me  tracings  of  their  plans,  which 
I  herewith  submit  to  the  Board. 

While  theoretically  each  cottage  building  should  be  separate  and  dis- 
tinct by  itself,  and  should  provide  within  itself  for  all  its  wants,  yet 
there  are  practical  considerations  that  may  require  a  departure  from 
this  plan  without  in  any  manner  impairing  the  efficiency  of  the  family 
plan  of  management. 

According  to  the  plans  for  the  new  school  in  Minnesota,  the  main 
building  will  be  a  large  structure  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  The  basement 
will  be  devoted  to  storage-rooms,  lavatories,  and  play-rooms,  and  the 
rear  wing  will  be  used  for  a  kitchen.  The  floor  above  the  kitchen  will 
be  used  as  a  dining-room,  and  the  other  stories  of  the  building  will  be 
used  for  offices,  dining-room  for  the  officers  and  employes,  library, 
and  reception  and  bed-rooms.  There  will  be  also  a  number  of  cottages 
of  modern  design.  The  reason  that  this  course  of  arranging  the  build- 
ings has  been  adopted  is,  that  a  general  kitchen  and  dining-room  will 
prove  less  expensive  than  separate  kitchens  and  dining-rooms  in  each 
cottage,  and  will  not  interfere  with  the  plan  of  segregation  of  the 
inmates  into  families;  besides,  it  allows  a  main  building  of  imposing 
appearance  to  be  erected,  which  is  to  some  extent  an  ornament  to  the 
place  in  which  the  school  is  located. 

BUILDINGS. 

From  what  I  have  seen  of  these  institutions  in  the  East,  I  would  rec- 
ommend the  cottage  or  family  system  of  management.  I  think,  how- 
ever, that  provision  should  be  made  for  those  whom  it  would  be  at  first 
unsafe  to  trust  with  the  liberty  accorded  to  inmates  of  cottages.  For 
such  persons,  it  would  be  advisable  to  preserve  many  of  the  features  of 
the  congregate  system.  Hence,  I  think  that  the  schools  should  be  partly 
congregate  and  partly  on  the  cottage  plan,  although  these  terms  scarcely 


,42  REFORMATORY    AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

express  the  idea  I  have  in  mind.  The  main  building  should  be  large 
and  commodious,  providing  suitable  quarters  for  the  necessary  officers 
of  the  institution,  and  one  or  more  wings  should  be  utilized  for  housing 
the  inmates.  This  plan  will  be  all  the  more  necessary,  because  in  a  new 
institution  there  will  for  some  time  be  a  lack  of  that  popular  opinion  in 
favor  of  the  management  that  would  prevail  in  an  institution  conducted 
on  the  cottage  system  for  years.  For  economic  reasons  a  portion  of  the 
main  building  could  be  used  as  a  dining-room,  while  the  kitchen  could 
conveniently  be  placed  in  one  wing  or  in  a  separate  building. 

I  submit  with  this  report  plans  of  some  of  the  Eastern  schools  for  the 
information  of  the  Board. 

SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  success  of  the  school  will  depend  upon  the  Superintendent.  A 
good  Superintendent  can  maintain  a  well  managed  school,  no  matter 
what  system  of  rules  may  be  adopted,  while  one  who  does  not  possess 
the  necessary  qualifications  can  derive  no  support  from  the  best  plan  of 
management  ever  devised.  One  who  has  had  some  experience  in  these 
schools  should,  in  my  judgment,  be  selected.  It  does  not,  perhaps, 
require  any  high  order  of  talent  to  conduct  one  of  these  schools,  yet,  as 
a  book  agent  who  has  had  long  followed  the  business  can  probably  sell 
more  books  than  one  who  has  not,  so  a  Superintendent  who  has  had 
experience  can  avoid  the  errors  that  a  novice  would  make.  Still,  it  is 
not  to  be  considered  that  only  a  few  such  persons  can  be  found.  It  does 
not  require  as  much  genius  to  conduct  a  public  institution  as  it  does  to 
command  a  victorious  army.  The  simple  truth  is  that  an  institution 
when  well  conducted  runs  itself.  The  Superintendent  should  be  a  person 
who  knows  what  is  necessary  in  the  management,  selects  proper  subordi- 
nates to  attend  to  the  details,  and  gently  but  firmly  and  unmercifully  cor- 
rects any  deviation  from  the  straight  path  of  duty.  Nevertheless,  it  does 
not  follow  that  every  man  who  is  out  of  a  position  or  unable  to  earn  a 
living  in  a  regular  occupation,  possesses  these  qualities.  One  who  has 
undertaken  this  work  as  a  business  will  probably  be  better  qualified  than 
one  who  has  not.  To  him  must  be  left,  in  a  great  measure,  the  question 
of  what  trades  should  be  taught;  but  I  would  recommend  that  such 
trades  should  be  adopted  as  require  little  or  no  machinery  for  their 
practice,  so  that  an  inmate  can,  on  his  discharge,  earn  his  living  by  his 
hands,  without  the  aid  of  costly  tools. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  43 


PART  n. 

Reformatories,  or  Intermediate  Prisons. 


I  had  the  opportunity  of  visiting  some  of  the  reformatories,  or  inter- 
mediate prisons,  which  receive  criminals  under  a  certain  age,  and  by  a 
system  of  labor,  education,  and  discipline  seek  to  secure  their  reforma- 
tion, so  that  when  they  have  earned  their  discharge  they  may  enter  the 
world  again,  prepared  to  withstand  its  temptations  and  to  follow  some 
legitimate  kind  of  labor. 

I  submit  a  brief  account  of  those  visited. 

PENNSYLVANIA   INDUSTRIAL    REFORMATORY. 

This  institution  is  located  at  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  under 
the  superintendence  of  R.  W.  McClaughrey,  who,  for  many  years,  was 
Warden  of  the  Illinois  Penitentiary  at  Joliet.  It  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  a  Board  of  five  Directors  appointed  by  the  Governor,  who  hold 
meetings  once  a  month  and  oftener  if  necessary,  and  are  paid  10  cents 
per  mile,  computed  circular,  for  traveling  expenses.  The  term  of  office 
is  ten  years,  one  Director  going  out  every  two  years.  For  misconduct, 
incompetency,  or  neglect  of  duty  the  Governor  may  remove  any  of  the 
managers,  after  an  opportunity  has  been  given  to  be  heard  upon  written 
charges.  The  Board  have  the  charge  and  management  of  the  reforma- 
tory and  appoint  a  General  Superintendent,  Chaplain,  and  Physician,  and 
may  remove  any  of  these  for  any  cause  impairing  the  proper  adminis- 
tration of  their  office,  after  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  upon  written 
charges  has  been  given.  The  General  Superintendent  has  power  to 
appoint  all  the  other  officers  and  employes,  and  to  remove  them  at  his 
pleasure;  but  such  subordinate  officers  are  appointed  only  after  a  strict 
examination  as  to  their  education,  trade,  moral  character,  knowledge, 
and  fitness  for  the  performance  of  their  duties. 

The  undeterminate  sentence  is  applied  to  persons  committed  to  the 
reformatory,  f  hich  receives  any  male  criminal  between  the  ages  of  fif- 
teen and  twenty-five  years,  convicted  of  an  offense  punishable  by  impris- 
onment in  the  State  Prison,  and  who  is  not  known  to  have  previously 
been  sentenced  to  a  State  Prison  in  Pennsylvania  or  any  other  State  or 
country.  The  sentence  is  generally  to  the  reformatory,  the  duration  of 


44  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

the  term  of  imprisonment  not  being  fixed  or  limited  by  the  Court  in 

passing  sentence. 

The  object  of  the  reformatory  is  to  prevent  young  first  offenders  from 
becoming  habitual  criminals,  and  to  train  them  so  as  to  make  them 
honest,  law-abiding  citizens.  For  this  purpose  the  law  confers  authority 
upon  the  Board  of  Managers  to  provide  such  a  system  of  discipline  for 
the  inmates  as  will  obtain  for  each  instruction  in  the  rudiments  of  an 
English  education  and  in  a  trade  that  will  be  useful  to  him  in  securing 
after  discharge  some  employment  by  which  he  may  support  himself. 
The  law  directs  that  when  a  prisoner  is  received  there  shall  be  entered 
in  a  register  the  date  of  his  admission,  his  name,  age,  and  nativity,  with 
such  facts  as  can  be  learned  of  his  parentage,  and  of  such  social  influ- 
ences as  would  bear  upon  his  constitutional  and  acquired  defects  and 
tendencies.  An  estimate,  based  upon  these  facts,  is  then  made  of  the 
prisoner,  and  of  the  plan  of  treatment  that  appears  to  be  best.  At  stated 
times  are  entered  in  this  register  minutes  of  improvement  or  deterioration 
of  character.  The  prisoners  are  employed  on  public  account,  and  the 
contract  system  of  labor  is  inhibited  by  statute. 

Each  prisoner  is  credited  for  good  personal  demeanor,  diligence  in 
labor  and  study,  and  for  all  results  accomplished,  and  is  debited  for  all 
derelictions,  negligence,  and  offenses.  An  abstract  of  the  record  of  each 
prisoner  under  the  control  of  the  Board,  showing  the  date  of  his  admis- 
sion, his  age,  and  present  condition,  whether  in  the  reformatory,  State 
Prison,  asylum,  or  elsewhere,  the  improvement  if  any,  and  reason  for 
release  or  continued  custody,  is  made  up  semi-annually,  considered  by 
the  Board  at  a  regular  meeting,  and  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

If  after  proper  investigation  and  obtaining  the  opinion  of  the  Physi- 
cian and  Moral  Instructor,  any  person  has  given  evidence,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  Superintendent,  that  he  may  be  deemed  reliable  and  worthy,  and 
may  with  safety  be  liberated,  a  certificate  of  this  fact,  and  the  opinion  of 
the  Superintendent,  Physician,  and  Moral  Instructor,  are  then  submitted 
to  the  Board  of  Managers,  who,  after  due  notice  to  all  the  Managers, 
consider  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Board  the  case  so  presented.  If  the 
Board  believe  that  he  is  entitled  to  his  discharge,  a  record  stating  the 
material  facts  is  made  and  transmitted  to  the  Judge  of  the  Court  that 
pronounced  sentence,  who  if  he  sees,  after  consulting  the  District  Attor- 
ney, no  further  reason  for  the  detention  of  the  prisoner,  sends  an  order 
for  his  discharge. 

Officers  and  employes  are  not  permitted  to  hold  unnecessary  commu- 
nication with  one  another  while  on  duty,  nor  with  visitors  or  the  per- 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  45 

sons  escorting  visitors.  Officers  are  strictly  forbidden,  either  at  the 
reformatory  or  elsewhere,  to  make  as  topics  of  conversation  either  the 
institution,  the  officers,  the  inmates,  or  their  duties.  They  are  required 
to  wear  such  uniform  as  the  Superintendent  may  direct  and  to  maintain 
always  a  tidy  appearance.  They  are  not  allowed  to  use  or  bring  upon 
the  premises  any  ardent  spirits  or  malt  liquors,  nor  to  smoke  or  chew 
tobacco  while  on  duty. 

All  officers  and  employes  are  required  to  assemble  on  the  guard-room 
floor  at  six  o'clock  A.  M.  of  each  day,  unless  the  Superintendent  or  dep- 
uty for  special  reasons  has  granted  an  excuse,  and  those  excused  from 
the  six  o'clock  assemblage  are  required  to  report  at  or  before  half-past 
six.  Each  officer  and  employe,  when  he  first  enters  the  guard-room  in 
the  morning,  reports  to  the  Turnkey,  who  enters  the  exact  time  in  a 
book.  The  institution  is  closed  to  visitors  at  five  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  to 
officers  at  eleven  o'clock  p.  M.  When  officers  and  employes  desire  to 
absent  themselves  from  the  reformatory  at  any  time,  they  must  procure 
permission  of  the  Superintendent  or  his  deputy,  and  are  required  per- 
sonally to  place  their  names  on  the  register,  stating  by  whom  the  permit 
has  been  granted,  and  the  exact  time  of  day  of  departure  and  return. 
They  are  forbidden  to  receive  or  present  a  gift  to  any  inmate,  or  to  buy 
from  or  sell  any  article  to  him;  nor  are  they  allowed  to  give  the  prison- 
ers any  information  nor  hold  any  conversation  with  them  except  upon 
duties  to  be  immediately  performed,  and  then  briefly  and  to  the  point. 

Leave  of  absence  without  deduction  of  salary,  whether  required  on 
account  of  sickness,  for  business  purposes,  or  for  vacation,  is  limited  to 
ten  days  in  each  year.  If  the  absence  continues  for  a  longer  period 
than  ten  days,  the  salary  of  the  officer  or  employe  ceases,  unless  the 
Board  of  Managers  for  exceptional  reasons  shall  otherwise  order.  Un- 
less for  special  reasons  permission  is  granted  by  the  Superintendent, 
officers  are  not  allowed  to  sit  while  on  duty,  and  they  are  not  permitted 
to  read  papers,  books,  or  periodicals  of  any  kind  while  on  duty,  or  per- 
form any  act  that  would  divert  or  relax  their  attention  from  strict 
vigilance. 

NEW   YORK    STATE    REFORMATORY   AT   ELMIRA. 

This  institution  is  well  known  throughout  the  United  States.  It  is 
under  the  management  of  Z.  R.  Brockway,  who  kindly  explained  to 
me  the  plan  of  management,  and  showed  me  all  the  various  modes  of 
instruction  and  discipline  followed. 

Every  sentence  to  this  reformatory  is  a  general  sentence  of  imprison- 
ment; in  other  words,  an  indeterminate  sentence.  The  Courts  do  not 
fix  or  limit  the  duration  of  the  sentence.  The  Board  of  Managers  have 


46  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

power  to  transfer,  temporarily,  with  the  written  consent  of  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Prisons,  to  either  of  the  State  Prisons,  any  prisoner  who 
subsequently  to  his  committal  shall  be  shown  to  have  been  at  the  time  of 
his  conviction  over  thirty  years  of  age,  or  to  have  been  previously  con- 
victed of  crime.  They  also  have  power  to  transfer  to  the  State  Prison 
any  apparently  incorrigible  prisoner  whose  presence  in  the  reformatory 
seems  to  be  injurious  to  the  welfare  of  the  institution,  and  by  written 
requisition  may  require  the  return  of  any  prisoner  so  transferred. 

The  indeterminate  sentence  and  the  plan  of  treating  prisoners  on  this 
fundamental  idea  has  many  warm  supporters,  and  there  is  much  that 
can  be  said  in  its  favor.  This  system,  however,  has  equally  strong 
opponents. 

Mr.  M.  J.  Cassidy,  Warden  of  the  Eastern  Penitentiary  at  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Prison  Association  of  the  United 
States  at  Boston,  by  direction  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  his  prison, 
in  a  report  to  the  Board,  says: 

The  Convention  continued  in  session  five  days.  During  that  time 
many  papers  were  presented  and  read  on  the  subject  of  crime,  its  causes, 
and  the  very  many  remedies  proposed  for  its  cure.  There  was  not 
much  discussion  of  the  topics  contained  in  the  various  well  prepared 
papers,  as  the  reasoning  of  the  able  men  who  prepared  them  exhausted 
the  subject  of  the  methods  of  treating  persons  convicted  of  crime.  Not 
much  was  said  for  any  known  system.  Most  of  the  experts  on  theoret- 
ical criminal  treatment,  and  some  of  the  practical  prison  officers  were 
caught  in  the  new  contagion  now  prevailing,  known  as  indeterminate 
sentence  and  parole,  that  has  been  transmitted  from  England,  where  it 
has  been  tried  and  failed  of  accomplishing  the  results  desired.  The 
most  successful  test  of  "  ticket  of  leave  system  "  in  this  country  is  being 
directed  by  Z.  R.  Brockway,  who  is  managing  the  Elmira  Reformatory, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  at  Elmira.  He  is  doing  more  with  it  than 
has  ever  been  done  elsewhere.  But  he  is  an  exceptional  man,  and  has 
given  his  life  to  this  subject,  and  can  make  anything  go  that  will  go. 

There  is  so  much  plausible  theory  about  the  method  that  is  alluring, 
as  in  all  things  that  are  indefinite.  The  injustice  that  must  be  done  in 
the  application  of  the  scheme,  the  dangerous  proceeding  of  making  the 
decisions  of  properly  constituted  Courts  indefinite,  should  be  well  con- 
sidered in  all  its  features  before  it  is  adopted. 

The  paper  read  by  Superintendent  Brockway,  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Discipline,  was  prepared  by  him.  It  was  an  indorsement  of 
the  indeterminate  sentence  and  parole  system,  which  Superintendent 
Pillsbury,  of  New  York,  did  not  fully  indorse,  but  signed  the  report, 
stating  in  substance  that  in  his  opinion  it  was  not  practicable  for  State 
Prisons.  Mr.  Pillsbury  not  being  present,  and  I  being  the  third  member 
of  the  Committee  of  Three  on  Discipline,  could  not  agree  to  the  Chair- 
man's report,  and  gave  the  following  reasons: 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  think  it  is  great  presumption  in  me  to 
dissent  from  anything  that  the  pioneer  of  the  indeterminate  sentence 
and  of  the  new  method  of  reformation  may  present.  There  are  many 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  47 

things  in  this  report  that  I  heartily  agree  with.  Much  of  it  is  good. 
But  I  cannot  agree  with  it  all,  and  there  was  not  sufficient  time  given 
to  admit  of  my  making  suggestions  which  would  not  so  materially  have 
altered  the  report  that  it  would  have  failed  to  express  what  Mr.  Brock- 
way  intended;  therefore  I  did  not  sign  it. 

"  The  indeterminate  sentence  and  parole  I  do  not  approve.  I  know 
you  will  think  me  egotistical  in  setting  up  my  opinion  against  the  pre- 
vailing tide  now  setting  in  that  direction.  But  life  is  too  short  for  any 
one  individual  to  have  three  or  five  or  ten  years  taken  out  of  it.  Human 
judgment  is  the  only  lever  that  can  be  used  in  determining  whether  a 
person's  time  shall  be  lengthened  or  shortened.  Human  judgment  is 
very  fallible.  Courts  with  juries  and  with  able  counsel  are  unable  to 
determine  the  exact  amount  of  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  person  tried. 
Many  times  the  offense  does  not  warrant  the  sentence  imposed. 

"  What  Macaulay  says  is  true,  that  there  are  several  undefined  lines 
that  verge  so  close  upon  each  other  that  we  cannot  determine  the  lines 
which  separate  courage  from  rashness,  prudence  from  cowardice,  frugal- 
ity from  prodigality.  So  there  are  lines  that  no  jury  has  ever  been  able 
to  determine,  the  line  of  the  amount  of  violence  necessary  to  justify  a 
killing,  and  the  line  where  mercy  to  offenders  ceases  to  be  a  mercy  and 
becomes  a  pernicious  weakness.  I  would  not  act  as  a  Prison  Warden 
where  I  had  to  determine  the  time  that  any  person  should  serve  in 
prison. 

"  Boards  of  Pardon,  which  are  constituted  of  gentlemen  versed  in  the 
law,  who  have  facilities  for  procuring  all  the  evidence  in  the  case  and 
weighing  all  the  pleas  that  may  be  offered,  in  very  many  cases  err  in 
their  judgment  in  granting  pardon,  not  from  a  want  of  a  disposition  to 
do  what  is  exactly  right,  but  from  the  fallacy  of  human  judgment.  We 
cannot  foresee  and  determine  what  is  to  become  of  a  prisoner  after  his 
term  expires.  Once  a  criminal  always  a  criminal,  is  not  true.  There 
are  many  men  serving  time  in  prisons,  who  recover  after  three,  four,  and 
five  falls.  I  would  not  like  to  go  to  the  grave  with  the  consciousness 
that  I  had  deprived  any  individual  of  any  portion  of  his  life.  That  part 
of  the  report  I  disagree  with,  and  these  are  my  reasons. 

"  Mr.  Brockway  has  launched  a  very  elegant  ship,  well  built  and  secure 
in  every  way.  No  doubt  he  will  make  a  successful  voyage,  but  the  most 
important  need  for  the  safety  of  the  ship  he  has  not  provided,  that  is,  a 
master  and  crew  that  understand  sailing  the  ship.  The  most  important 
thing  for  the  people  who  are  interested  in  the  reclamation  of  prisoners, 
is  to  provide  some  means  for  the  training  of  prison  officers  to  render 
them  efficient  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  It  is  very  well  to  go 
over  the  old  ground  of  discipline  for  prisoners,  and  '  go  as  you  please ' 
for  officers,  but  it  is  just  as  absurd  to  place  inexperienced  men  who  have 
had  no  training  at  all,  to  control  these  men  in  prison,  as  it  is  to  place  a 
shoemaker  or  tailor  on  board  a  Government  vessel  carrying  a  thousand 
or  fifteen  hundred  men.  Railroads  are  controlled  and  managed  by  peo- 
ple who  begin  at  the  beginning.  A  railroad  man  begins  as  a  yardman, 
then  he  may  become  a  train  hand,  then  brakeman,  and  perhaps,  after  a 
time,  an  engineer;  but  to  go  out  into  the  street,  take  a  man  who  has 
never  been  in  a  prison  before,  and  place  him  in  control,  that  is  not  right. 

''  Mr.  Brockway,  no  doubt,  will  agree  with  me  in  some  of  my  notions. 
As  I  declined  to  sign  this  report,  I  deem  it  proper  to  give  some  explana- 


48  KEFORMATOKY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

tion  for  doing  so.    I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  for  not  advocating  the  pre- 
vailing epidemic  of  indeterminate  sentence  and  parole." 

The  institution  at  Huntingdon  is  now  completed  and  is  ready  to  receive 
inmates.  Young  first  offenders  are  to  be  there  treated  for  their  reclama- 
tion from  the  influences  by  which  they  had  been  surrounded  and  made 
criminals,  and  taught  habits  of  industry,  preparing  them  to  become  good 
and  reputable  citizens.  The  management  of  this  training  school  for  the 
wayward  youth  of  the  State  has  been  fortunate  in  securing  the  services 
of  a  man  for  Superintendent,  R.  W.  McClaughrey,  who  of  all  men  with 
any  knowledge  of  the  business  required  of  him  is  one  of  the  few  men  in 
the  country  that  is  fully  adapted  for  the  management  of  such  an  institu- 
tion. If  success  can  be  attained,  he  is  the  one  who  can  make  it,  I  make 
this  statement  from  a  knowledge  of  the  man  for  some  years  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  prison  managers  of  much  experience.  In  my  opinion 
the  results  will  justify  his  selection. 

A  better  description  of  this  institution,  and  the  system  there  followed, 
than  perhaps  I  am  able  to  give,  is  furnished  by  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
who  remarks: 

The  Elmira  Penitentiary  is  in  its  outward  appearance  a  handsome 
edifice,  built  not  very  well,  but  with  some  little  pretensions  to  archi- 
tecture, for  the  accommodation  of  about  six  hundred  people.  It  is  well 
ventilated.  The  cells  are  of  two  or  three  sizes,  fitted  for  a  graded  prison 
in  that  respect.  The  reformatory  receives  convicts  from  any  part  of 
the  State,  in  the  discretion  of  the  Judge,  who  are  between  the  ages  of 
sixteen  and  thirty,  and  who  are  then  convicted  of  the  first  penitentiary 
offense.  It  is  called  technically  a  juvenile  reformatory,  but  in  all  the 
prisons  there  are  very  many  prisoners  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and 
thirty.  A  very  large  proportion  of  all  the  convicts  who  are  there  for 
the  second  and  third  time  are  under  thirty.  In  all  the  prisons  that 
you  visit,  you  are  struck  with  the  youthfulness  of  the  occupants.  So 
that,  while  this  is  a  prison  for  first  offenders,  yet  ranging  up  to  the  age 
of  thirty  there  is  there  a  very  large  number  of  men  just  as  fully  fur- 
nished for  criminal  life,  just  as  determinedly  set  on  it,  as  you  will  find 
anywhere  else.  The  accident  that  they  have  not  been  before  caught  and 
convicted,  is  an  accident,  very  likely.  They  are,  for  the  most  part,  men 
who  have  been  brought  up  from  boyhood  to  a  criminal  life.  They  belong 
in  any  philosophical  classification  to  the  criminal  class,  so  that  the 
experiment  there  is  really  with  difficult  and  hardened  criminals. 

Before  I  go  farther  I  want  to  say  another  thing  about  education.  The 
notion  very  largely  prevails  that  it  is  not  a  proper  thing  to  educate  a 
criminal;  that  it  may  not  only  make  him  a  greater  adept  in  crime,  and 
that  he  will  become  an  accomplished  rascal.  It  is  my  observation  that 
tbe  criminal  is  not  an  intellectual  being;  that  the  criminal  class  and 
the  class  that  will  be  criminal  are  low  in  physical  as  well  as  mental  and 
moral  condition.  They  are  men  usually  given  to  vices  through  inherit- 
ance or  by  carnal  and  vicious  tastes.  They  are  not  intellectually  capa- 
ble in  any  way;  their  will  is  gone,  their  motive  power  is  lost.  They  are, 
therefore,  men  who  must  be  approached,  if  approached  at  all  in  any 
reformatory,  on  the  intellectual  side.  I  do  not  believe  at  all  in  the 
rose-water  treatment  of  many  prisoners.  I  have  an  entire  disbelief  in 
holidays,  in  flowers,  in  tracts,  in  the  little  dabbling  of  sentiment  that 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  49 

would  make  a  prison  a  pleasant  place  to  visit.  You  must  go  more  rad- 
ically at  the  man  himself,  and  come  at  him  physically,  intellectually, 
and  morally,  in  order  to  effect  anything  at  all. 

The  prison  at  Elmira  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Brockway,  who  has  organ- 
ized and  originated  this,  to  me,  entirely  novel  treatment  of  prisoners. 
When  the  prisoner  is  brought  in  he  is  submitted  to  a  very  thorough 
personal  examination  by  the  Superintendent.  There  is  a  large  ledger 
kept,  in  which  a  page  or  pages  are  devoted  to  his  case.  The  examina- 
tion goes  into  his  heredity — who  was  his  father,  who  was  his  mother,  and 
even  who  were  his  grandparents,  if  it  is  possible  to  ascertain.  What 
sort  of  lives  did  they  all  lead.  Where  was  he  born.  Had  he  any 
home  life.  How  long  did  he  stay  at  home.  Had  he  any  education. 
The  ancestry  of  the  boy  as  showing  the  tendency  of  the  man.  An 
examination  is  also  made  of  him  physically;  and  this  interested  me 
very  much,  because  it  is  not  a  mere  examination  of  whether  he  is  fat 
or  lean,  or  consumptive,  or  with  tendency  to  some  other  disease,  but  of 
the  quality  of  the  man's  flesh,  is  there  any  fineness  in  him,  or  is  he 
coarse  in  his  physical  fiber.  Next,  a  careful  examination  is  made  of 
him  mentally.  What  intellect  has  he.  What  quickness,  what  solidity. 
Has  he  any  training.  Is  he  bright  or  dull.  Then  a  thorough  diagnosis 
of  his  past  life  is  made,  relating  not  to  crime,  but  to  his  capacity  for 
good.  After  that  is  prognosticated  with  increasing  certainty,  the  sort  of 
treatment  that  is  best  for  him.  Before  that,  he  is,  of  course,  washed  and 
clad,  and  made  fit  for  association  in  a  decent  prison.  At  first  he  is  put 
into  the  second  grade. 

In  the  institution  there  are  three  grades — first,  intermediate,  and  third. 
The  newcomers  go  into  the  second  grade.  From  that,  they  may  go  up  or 
down,  according  to  their  behavior.  When  a  man  is  put  into  the  second 
grade  he  is  told  the  length  of  his  sentence,  the  maximum  length.  He 
is  also  told  what  he  has  to  do  to  free  himself  from  the  institution.  That 
is,  he  has  to  make  so  many  marks  in  order  to  get  out.  He  is  informed 
what  is  expected  of  him  in  a  disciplinary  way.  Before  going  there,  I 
could  never  understand  how  an  indeterminate  sentence  could  be  best  for 
criminals  and  for  society.  I  never  before  saw  any  tribunal  that  could 
ascertain  when  a  man  was  fit  to  go  out  of  prison.  The  easiest  thing  in 
the  world  is  to  be  religious  and  be  a  hypocrite,  and  not  be  a  bit  changed. 
How  are  you  going  to  know  when  a  man  is  to  go  out?  that  was  always 
the  sticker  with  me.  A  prisoner  may  be  kept  for  the  maximum  time 
for  which  he  may  be  sentenced,  or  under  the  discipline  of  this  prison 
he  may  leave  within  a  year.  In  all  the  grades  there  are  distinctions  of 
dress  and  treatment.  In  the  second  grade  he  is  not  much  removed  from 
the  citizen  in  appearance — he  wears  clothes  of  a  brown  color,  and  a  Scotch 
cap.  In  the  first  grade,  which  he  may  reach  by  good  conduct,  he  wears 
a  blue  uniform,  with  a  soldier's  cap.  In  the  third  grade,  to  which  he 
may  descend  by  bad  conduct,  he  is  put  into  a  red  garment.  He  looks 
like  a  criminal  in  his  apparel.  It  is  a  stigma  on  him.  These  three 
grades  have  different  privileges.  The  first  grade  men  occupy  better 
cells  and  have  better  fare.  They  dine  together,  and  in  the  dining-hall 
sit  at  little  tables,  eight  or  ten  at  a  table,  as  at  a  hotel.  When  I  visit 
the  institution  I  always  like  to  go  into  that  dining-hall,  it  is  so  well 
conducted  and  the  men  are  so  polite  to  each  other.  When  the  first 
grade  men  march,  they  walk  four  abreast,  in  honorable  ranks.  They 
are  officered  by  men  chosen  from  their  own  grade.  They  are  also  the 
4o 


50  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

officers  of  the  second  grade.  They  have  also  certain  disciplinary  duties 
in  the  institution.  All  this  is  openly  known.  They  are  overlooked  by 
the  officers  of  the  institution,  who  report  any  one  guilty  of  dereliction 
of  duty.  The  second  grade  men  take  their  meals  in  their  cells,  and 
march  in  ranks  of  two.  The  third  grade  men  march  in  the  prison 
lock-step,  and  take  their  meals  in  their  cells,  which  are  not  so  comfort- 
able as  the  other  cells.  The  prisoners  feel  these  distinctions  the  more 
keenly  the  longer  they  stay  there. 

The  Superintendent  has  to  decide  for  the  newcomer  what  is  the  best 
sort  of  work  for  him  to  do,  for  there  are  several  things  taught  there; 
next,  into  what  school  shall  he  go.  The  code  of  behavior  is  very  strict. 
The  discipline  in  little  things  that  go  to  make  up  conduct  in  Elmira  is 
exceedingly  minute,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  submit  himself 
to  it  without  feeling  it  very  thoroughly.  In  the  workshop  he  is  marked, 
as  well  as  for  his  progress  and  conduct  in  school.  In  the  school  he  is 
marked  for  his  attainment,  his  diligence,  and  his  progress.  He  may  be 
in  the  primary  class  or  pursuing  higher  studies;  but  wherever  he  is, 
he  is  required  to  come  to  a  certain  standard,  according  to  his  capacity, 
and  he  is  marked  on  that.  He  has  to  earn  a  certain  number  of  marks 
before  he  can  change  his  condition  from  the  second  grade  to  the  first, 
and  be  on  his  way  out  of  the  prison.  He  has  to  earn  these  marks  by  a 
kind  of  discipline  in  all  respects  exceedingly  repugnant  to  him.  He 
has  to  earn  them,  not  to-day,  but  day  after  day,  for  months.  He  has  to 
behave  himself  perfectly,  so  that  he  gets  his  nine  marks  without  any 
dereliction.  After  he  has  earned  all  his  marks  he  is  put  into  the  first 
grade;  and  after  six  months  more,  if  his  marks  are  perfect  and  other 
things  are  favorable,  he  is  entitled  to  a  conditional  release.  The  inter- 
est to  me  in  that  was  this:  that  no  man  can  submit  himself  to  that 
threefold  discipline,  I  do  not  care  whether  he  does  it  willingly  or  unwill- 
ingly, for  one  or  two  years  without  being  decidedly  changed.  I  do  not 
believe  it  is  possible  to  put  a  man  through  a  drill  of  that  kind  without 
changing  him.  At  first,  very  likely,  he  may  be  a  hypocrite;  but  that 
cannot  last.  It  is  sometimes  a  long  time  before  they  come  down  to  busi- 
ness, but,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  they  do  come  down.  It  is  said  that 
some  men  are  incorrigible,  that  they  cannot  be  touched  and  reformed. 
I  am  not  certain  that  that  is  not  true.  There  are  some  snarls  that  can 
not  be  straightened,  and  perhaps  there  are  some  men.  I  remember  Mr. 
Brockway  said  at  my  first  visit  that  about  20  per  cent  were  incorrigible, 
and  that  the  statistics  of  the  institution  show  that  80  per  cent  of  the 
men  who  went  away  remained  beyond  the  law,  or,  as  some  one  said,  they 
were  taught  to  "steal  honestly."  The  second  time  I  was  there  Mr. 
Brockway  said  he  did  not  know  about  that  incorrigible  business;  he  did 
not  feel  so  sure  as  a  few  weeks  before  about  the  per  cent.  He  said  that 
he  made  out  a  list  of  ten  men  that  he  had  a  right  to  send  to  Auburn 
who  should  be  sent  there  if  they  were  incorrigible,  but  he  did  not  send 
them.  In  about  a  week  from  that  time  two  of  the  men  got  a  start,  and 
were  doing  very  well.  When  I  was  there  later  that  list  had  disap- 
peared. Those  ten  men  were  doing  as  well  as  any  one,  and  likely  to 
keep  on  doing  well. 

When  a  man  has  gone  on  his  three-ply  duty,  and  has  come  to  the  end 
of  a  year  with  a  perfect  record,  then  he  must  submit  himself  to  the 
judgment  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  are  responsible  to  the  State 
and  not  to  the  Superintendent.  The  case  with  all  its  aspects  is  sub- 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  51 

mitted  to  them,  and  the  question  is  asked  whether  the  man  shall  go  out. 
If  he  goes  out,  he  is  paroled  for  six  months,  but  he  is  never  sent  out 
without  a  place  being  provided  for  him.  That  place  is  provided  often 
by  the  man's  friends,  often  by  the  men  who  have  employed  him  before, 
for  this  seminary  at  Elmira  is  getting  to  have  a  good  reputation  for 
turning  out  honest  boys.  It  is  asked  every  month  to  place  men  from 
there.  It  is  a  very  good  diploma  to  graduate  there.  The  number  of  its 
correspondents  is  increasing,  so  that  it  is  easier  and  easier  to  place  men. 
The  men  who  are  sent  out  are  required  to  report  every  month  as  to  their 
condition,  and  this  must  be  certified  to  by  some  one  known  to  the  insti- 
tution. When  that  has  gone  on  for  six  months,  and  the  man  is  earning 
his  own  living  and  behaving  himself,  the  release  is  made  absolute  by  a 
vote  of  the  Board,  and  nothing  more  is  heard  of  it.  It  seems  a  little 
absurd  that  criminals  should  be  educated  as  college  boys  are,  and  yet 
education  there  is  carried  to  as  high  a  pitch  in  some  respects  as  in  some 
of  our  High  Schools.  It  is  carried  on  especially  in  the  direction  which 
will  go  to  make  a  man  a  good  and  intelligent  citizen,  to  make  him  fit  to 
exercise  the  right  of  suffrage,  and  to  do  his  duty  to  the  State  with  under- 
standing. Ordinary  political  economy,  history,  English  and  American 
literature,  and  branches  of  that  sort  are  taught,  and  taught  very  thor- 
oughly, because  these  young  men  are  not  studying  as  some  other  young 
men  do,  to  satisfy  some  one's  pride  at  home,  but  to  get  out,  and  they  give 
their  minds  to  it.  They  have  to  pass  examinations,  and  are  marked  on 
their  reports.  They  have  among  themselves  a  weekly  newspaper.  By 
the  way,  I  recommend  it  as  the  most  decent  family  paper  I  know  in  the 
country.  It  has  nothing  in  it  that  would  injure  a  prisoner,  and  you 
cannot  afford  to  send  some  of  our  papers  to  the  prisons.  I  was  very 
much  interested  in  a  very  high  development  that  I  found  there.  A  law- 
yer of  Elmira  has,  every  Sunday  morning,  what  is  called  a  practical 
morality  class.  It  is  made  up  of  a  little  more  than  two  hundred  of  the 
six  hundred  in  the  institution,  chosen  from  the  three  grades  according 
to  their  ability.  There  came  up  in  connection  with  this  a  very  curious 
psychological  fact  bearing  upon  this  relation  of  morality  to  education. 
I  found  that  the  very  much  larger  proportion  of  these  higher  men  were 
selected  from  the  first  grade.  There  were  very  few  from  the  third  grade. 
The  Superintendent  made  out  a  table  showing  exactly  how,  from  time 
to  time,  like  an  isothermal  line,  conduct  went  along  with  intelligence. 
The  best  behaved  men  were  the  best  scholars;  the  moral  training  went 
along  with  the  intellectual.  It  is  an  exceedingly  interesting  table.  In 
this  practical  morality  class  they  were  finishing  the  reading  of  Socrates 
from  Professor  Jowett's  translation.  The  class  was  as  remarkable  in  its 
intellectual  quickness,  readiness,  and  ability  to  understand  the  problems 
of  the  Socratic  teaching  as  any  class  I  ever  sawr.  I  do  not  think  that  I 
ever  heard  among  young  men  such  apt  and  wonderfully  intuitive  discus- 
sions as  they  carried  on  there.  What  happened  one  morning?  Here  is 
an  institution  made  up  of  'perhaps  one  half  Catholics,  a  good  many  Jews, 
and  people  of  all  denominations  and  no  denomination.  They  had  been 
studying  and  discussing  Socrates,  weighing  all  the  abstract  questions  of 
right  and  wrong,  and  morality,  and  that  morning  they  came  to  the  con- 
ductor of  the  class,  and  said  to  him,  "  We  would  like  to  go  on  to  the  New 
Testament  and  study  the  character  of  Christ."  I  do  not  suppose  that 
all  the  good  clergymen  of  the  State  of  New  York  could  have  drawn  that 
class  to  the  study  of  Christ  in  five  hundred  years.  But  they  came  nat- 


52  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

urally  to  it  as  a  study  of  morality,  and  the  next  term  they  were  study- 
ing the  New  Testament,  and  studying  it  without  prejudice. 

I  believe  that  a  State  Prison  should  pay.  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
State  ought  to  support  any  man,  because  he  is  a  criminal,  in  idleness. 
I  asked  about  this  place,  and  found  that  it  did  not  pay.  It  cost  the 
State  about  $30,000  a  year  to  carry  it  on ;  and  as  we  were  talking  about 
building  a  new  prison  in  Connecticut,  that  seemed  to  me  a  lamentable 
fact.  After  I  went  a  second  time,  I  thought  it  over  more,  and  it  came 
to  me  in  this  light:  At  our  Connecticut  Prison  we  get  back  60  per  cent 
of  those  whom  we  have  educated  there  as  criminals.  They  are  very 
accomplished.  They  come  back  a  great  many  times.  We  get  back,  I 
say,  60  per  cent;  that  is  about  the  average  of  all  the  State  Prisons  of  the 
country.  Here  is  an  institution  that  takes  men  of  this  character,  and 
80  per  cent  do  not  only  not  come  back,  but  are  made  productive,  decent, 
and  respectable  citizens,  while  it  only  costs  $30,000;  all  the  rest  the  men 
earn  themselves.  They  earn  it  in  various  trades,  besides  thus  fitting 
themselves  for  their  own  occupation.  Classes  in  stenography,  in  teleg- 
raphy, in  modeling,  in  drawing,  are  all  taught,  and  the  men  are  fitted 
to  work  in  the  world,  and  it  only  costs  $30,000.  Why,  it  costs  more 
than  that,  under  the  old  system,  to  catch  the  men,  and  try  them,  and 
bring  them  back  to  us  again.  Thus,  the  State  is  making  and  saving 
money  by  this  institution.  The  first  thing  that  struck  me,  after  I  became 
familiar  with  the  reformatory,  was  the  absolute  change  in  the  faces  of 
the  men.  All  the  insensibility,  the  heaviness,  had  gone  out  of  them, 
physically  as  well  as  mentally,  and  moral  energy  was  awakened.  They 
ran  up  and  down  stairs,  and  moved  briskly,  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
person  was  changed. 

There  is  one  very  serious  objection  to  any  kind  of  institution  life. 
That  is  to  say,  it  makes  the  men  dependent.  The  more  we  can  get  rid 
of  institution  life  in  every  way,  the  better  for  us.  The  trouble  at  Elmira, 
as  everywhere  else,  is  that  the  men  are  fed,  lodged,  and  clothed,  and 
everything  is  done  for  them.  This  trouble  of  the  dependence  of  the 
men,  of  course,  obtains  there.  They  get  good  food,  because  the  Super- 
intendent says  he  gets  better  work  out  of  the  men  when  he  gives  them 
good  food;  but  he  finds  that  they  are  to  a  certain  degree  dependent,  and 
he  thinks  of  putting  the  whole  thing  on  the  "  European  plan."  There 
is  a  good  deal  of  sense  in  that.  Let  a  man  go  into  a  restaurant  and 
order  what  he  chooses,  knowing  what  he  earns.  He  would  very  likely 
over-eat  at  first,  but  the  process  would  bring  him  down  to  the  basis  of 
knowing  how  to  spend  his  money  as  well  as  to  earn  it.  I  do  not  know 
any  one  but  Mr.  Brockway  who  could  carry  out -this  plan;  but  I  believe 
that  he  can  make  that  institution  fully  independent,  earning  its  money, 
buying  its  food  and  clothing,  just  as  people  are  required  to  do  outside. 

Some  time  ago,  owing  to  the  operation  of  a  law  in  New  York  on  the 
subject  of  the  employment  of  criminals,  most  of  the  inmates  were 
thrown  into  idleness,  and  to  secure  exercise  for  them  they  were  formed 
into  companies  and  drilled  in  military  tactics.  Although  the  necessity 
that  brought  this  result  about  has  passed  away,  yet  the  advantages  that 
accrued  from  the  system  of  military  discipline  enforced  were  considered 
so  numerous  and  important  that  this  feature  is  still  preserved. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  53 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  spectacle  of  a  military  review  was  pre- 
sented, the  convicts  carrying  wooden  guns  and  accompanied  by  a  brass 
band.  They  drilled  and  marched  with  the  utmost  precision,  and  demon- 
strated the  exact  and  severe  drill  to  which  they  had  been  subjected. 
Aside  from  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  the  display,  it  is  claimed  that 
the  practice  of  military  tactics  exercises  an  important  influence  in  the 
work  of  reformation. 

The  inmates  are  drilled  in  different  trades,  and  exhibit  a  high  state 
of  proficiency,  and  there  is  no  question,  from  all  that  can  be  learned, 
that  the  prison  is  a  success.  It  has  been  examined  at  various  times  by 
various  Commissions  from  other  States,  and  they  nearly  all  unite  in  its 
praise. 

The  Board  of  Prison  Commissioners  of  Massachusetts  said: 

When  the  New  York  State  Reformatory  was  established,  a  new  and 
radically  different  system  was  adopted,  and  has  been  in  successful  opera- 
tion for  several  years.  It  is  provided  that  sentences  to  the  reformatory 
shall  be  merely  "  to  the  reformatory,"  and  the  Court  does  not  fix  or  limit 
the  duration,  nor  is  it  specified  by  the  Judge;  but  the  prisoner,  under 
the  law,  may  be  held  for  the  maximum  term  for  which  he  might  be  sen- 
tenced to  any  other  prison.  Authority  to  release  on  ticket  of  leave  is 
given  to  the  "managers"  of  the  New  York  Reformatory,  similar  to  that 
which  this  Board  has  to  release  prisoners  sentenced  to  the  Massachusetts 
Reformatory,  when  it  is  thought  that  they  have  reformed. 

Strong  arguments  can  be  made  against  either  system.  Against  the 
system  of  fixed  sentences  these  considerations  may  fairly  be  urged:  Even 
upon  the  theory  that  penalties  may  be  imposed  in  such  a  manner  under 
some  system  as  to  properly  punish  crime,  it  is  certain  that  they  are  not 
so  imposed  under  the  existing  system.  The  Courts  endeavor  to  ascertain 
the  facts  in  each  case  as  well  as  they  can,  but  often  fail  entirely.  The 
great  difference  in  sentence,  for  offenses  which  are  technically  similar, 
has  often  been  commented  upon  in  a  manner  grossly  unfair  to  the  Courts. 
It  is  true  that  these  differences  are  due  partly  to  the  different  views  held 
by  different  Judges  as  to  the  seriousness  of  certain  offenses,  and  it  often 
happens  that  two  Judges,  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  impose  sentences 
widely  different  for  offenses  really  similar,  and  that  great  injustice  is 
done  to  one  or  the  other  of  the  offenders.  It  more  often  occurs  that  there 
are  very  great  differences  in  the  offenses  (of  which  those  who  make  com- 
ments are  entirely  ignorant)  which  not  only  make  it  proper  to  administer 
different  penalties,  but  which  would  make  it  unjust  to  punish  them 
alike.  But  whether  the  difference  in  sentences  is  just  or  unjust,  it  works 
greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  all  efforts  to  secure  reformation.  The 
person  receiving  the  longer  sentence  feels  himself  to  be  grossly  injured, 
and  that  feeling  constantly  aggravates  and  angers,  making  futile  all 
efforts  to  bring  him  under  good  influences.  No  one  thing  operates  so 
disastrously  against  reformation  as  the  difference  in  sentences  for  offenses 
technically  similar. 

The  fixing  of  a  sentence  tends,  also,  to  give  the  offender  a  wrong  stand- 
ard for  measuring  his  offense  and  his  relation  to  the  community.  He 
feels  that  when  he  has  served  his  sentence  he  has  "  wiped  out "  his 


54  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

offense,  and  is  entitled  to  return  to  his  place  in  society,  whether  changed 
in  character  or  not,  and  the  law,  by  recognizing  that  claim  and  discharg- 
ing him  at  the  end  of  a  fixed  term,  gives  its  indorsement  to  that  theory. 
The  sentence  itself,  therefore,  makes  no  appeal  whatever  for  penitence 
or  reformation. 

The  indeterminate  sentence  is  founded  upon  a  different  theory.  Its 
assumption  is  that  the  character  of  the  offender,  and  not  the  character 
of  the  offense,  should  determine  the  duration  of  his  imprisonment.  It 
starts  also  upon  .this  other  assumption,  that  the  character  of  the  offense 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  the  character  of  the  offender.  The  man 
who  steals  a  thousand  dollars  is  not  necessarily  ten  times  as  bad  as  the 
man  who  steals  one  hundred.  It  therefore  puts  all  offenders  of  a  similar 
class  upon  the  same  footing  when  they  enter  the  prison,  assuming  that 
in  this  way  a  fair  basis  is  obtained  for  the  imposition  of  sentences.  The 
duration  of  the  sentence  is  then  made  to  depend  upon  the  offender's 
character,  to  be  ascertained  during  his  imprisonment,  not  only  by  his 
behavior — for  the  most  dangerous  criminals  are  often  the  best  behaved 
prisoners — but  by  all  the  means  which  can  be  adopted  to  ascertain  the 
real  character. 

The  first  advantage  of  this  system  is,  that  it  makes  a  strong  appeal  at 
once  for  the  establishment  of  a  good  character.  The  prisoner  realizes 
that  he  is  imprisoned,  not  so  much  as  a  retribution  for  an  offense,  as 
because  he  is  unfit  to  be  at  liberty,  and  that  his  return  to  society  depends 
upon  a  demonstration  that  he  is  fit  to  return  to  it.  This — perhaps  not 
at  first,  but  in  the  course  of  his  term — impresses  him,  as  it  does  every 
one,  as  a  reasonable  thing,  and  when  once  the  idea  is  grasped  it  has  of 
itself  a  strong  reformatory  influence. 

When  the  average  prisoner  enters  the  prison  his  first  thought,  and 
the  one  constant  thought,  is  of  the  date  of  his  coming  release,  as  the 
anxious  thought  before  his  sentence  has  regard  to  its  probable  length. 
The  indeterminate  sentence  makes  the  date  of  release  depend  upon  him- 
self, and  not  upon  the  word  of  the  Court.  He  must  struggle  for  it.  If 
he  has  no  trade,  he  must  learn  one;  if  he  is  illiterate,  he  must  be  studi- 
ous; if  he  has  an  uncontrolled  temper,  he  must  master  it;  if  he  has  been 
lawless,  he  must  learn  to  obey;  if  he  has  been  shiftless,  he  must  form 
habits  of  industry.  When  these  things  have  been  done,  and  only  then, 
will  his  release  come.  The  success  of  the  New  York  Reformatory  de- 
pends largely  upon  the  fact  that  the  indeterminate  sentence  makes  this 
appeal  to  all  who  enter  it.  It  arouses  the  ambition  and  is  an  incentive 
to  the  hope  of  every  man,  and  by  making  a  prisoner's  future  depend 
mainly  upon  himself,  it  secures  his  cooperation  in  the  efforts  made  for 
his  reformation. 

There  are  two  arguments  against  the  system  of  indeterminate  sen- 
tences which  are  entitled  to  attention.  It  is  said  by  those  who  oppose  it, 
that  it  commits  the  decision  as  to  the  length  of  a  prisoner's  sentence  to  a 
Board  which  may  not  possess  or  exercise  good  judgment,  and  may  deal 
unjustly  by  the  prisoner.  We  believe  it  to  be  a  sufficient  answer  to  say 
that,  even  if  the  offense,  and  not  the  character  of  the  offender,  is  to  be 
the  basis  of  a  sentence,  a  Board  which  can  have  time  to  get  at  all  the 
facts  of  the  case  will,  in  most  instances,  be  better  able  to  reach  a  just 
conclusion  than  any  Court  can  which  sees  the  prisoner  for  only  a  few 
minutes,  or  at  most  a  few  hours.  It  is  hard  to  conceive  of  a  more  diffi- 
cult task  than  that  imposed  upon  a  Court  of  deciding,  for  instance, 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  55 

whether  a  given  offense  shall  be  punished  by  a  sentence  of  twelve  or 
eighteen  or  twenty-four  months.  Under  the  system  of  indeterminate 
sentences,  every  prisoner  guilty  of  offenses  technically  similar  would 
be  sentenced  to  the  reformatory,  and  might  be  held  for  the  maximum 
term  provided  by  law  for  the  punishment  of  that  offense,  leaving  the 
question  of  the  actual  duration  of  his  sentence  to  be  determined  at  a 
later  day  by  his  own  conduct. 

It  is  also  said  that  no  Board  can  ascertain  a  man's  real  character  with 
sufficient  accuracy  to  make  his  release  conditional  upon  it.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  sentences  are  now  imposed  by  the  Courts  upon  pre- 
cisely this  basis,  and  a  supposed  general  good  character  tends  to  secure 
a  shorter  sentence  than  would  otherwise  be  given.  It  is,  then,  merely  a 
question  as  to  whether  it  is  better,  or  more  feasible,  to  ascertain  the 
character  before  or  after  sentence.  It  seems  clear  that  the  authorities 
under  whose  eyes  the  prisoner  spends  every  moment  of  his  time  are 
more  likely  to  form  a  wise  judgment  in  regard  to  his  character  than  any 
Court  can  in  the  limited  time  allowed  for  an  investigation.  The  Court 
may  be  able  to  ascertain  the  prisoner's  reputation,  but  his  character  can 
hardly  be  known  until  it  has  been  ascertained  by  careful  study.  If  any 
mistake  is  made  by  the  Board  in  regard  to  a  prisoner's  character,  it  will 
rarely  be  against  him.  Men  rarely  appear  worse  than  they  are,  and 
there  is  little  danger  that  any  man  will  be  unjustly  dealt  with  by  being 
kept  longer  than  he  should.  It  would  only  be  upon  a  definite  record  of 
bad  conduct,  and  a  clear  demonstration  of  bad  character,  that  a  prisoner 
would  be  held  for  the  full  possible  term  of  his  sentence.  We  can  see  no 
more  reason  for  releasing  a  criminal  before  his  reformation  is  probably 
assured,  than  for  releasing  an  insane  person  from  an  asylum  at  the  end 
of  a  definite  term,  regardless  of  his  restoration  to  sanity. 

INDIANA    REFORMATORY    INSTITUTION   FOR   WOMEN   AND   GIRLS. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  say  a  Avord  or  two  in  reference 
to  this  institution,  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting  in  company  with 
Judge  Jordan,  President  of  the  Reform  School  at  Plainfield. 

This  institution  is  situated  at  Indianapolis,  and  is  under  the  super- 
vision of  a  Board  of  Managers  consisting  of  three  ladies.  It  consists  of 
two  departments — the  penal  and  the  reformatory.  The  Managers 
strongly  desire  to  have  the  name  of  the  institution  changed,  so  as  to 
remove  any  stigma  that  may  exist  upon  the  reformatory  department, 
and  suggest  that  the  change  should  be  to  "  The  Reformatory  for  Girls  and 
Woman's  Prison." 

The  total  cost  for  maintenance  last  year  was  $28,241  44,  and  the 
institution  earned  $4,041  90. 

The  reformatory  department  was  created  for  the  purpose  of  assuming 
charge  of  girls  under  fifteen  years  of  age  who  might  be  sent  to  it  by 
parents,  guardians,  or  Courts,  and  who  required  the  restraints,  discipline, 
and  guardianship  of  a  school  of  this  character.  The  period  of  deten- 
tion is  from  one  to  three  years,  and  the  aim  of  this  department  is  to 


56  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

teach  each  girl  some  form  of  industrial  employment.  The  principal 
industries  followed  are  cane  seating,  painting,  whitewashing,  plain  and 
fancy  cooking,  sewing,  cutting,  fitting,  and  draping. 

The  Superintendent  furnishes  the  following  in  regard  to  discipline: 

Discipline  in  its  broadest  sense  means  to  train,  to  develop,  to  chasten, 
to  educate,  and  it  is  the  regular  enforcing  of  wholesome  rules  that  makes 
good  discipline. 

Order  cannot  be  maintained  in  any  other  way.  Obedience  is  God's 
first  law,  and  to  its  mandate  all  must  bow. 

We  always  give  a  girl  a  chance  to  tell  her  own  story,  and  to  defend 
her  own  case  when  reported  for  any  misdemeanor,  always  urging  her  to 
truthfulness  of  statement,  although  she  may  be  greatly  at  fault.  Thus 
by  gentleness  and  justice,  united  with  firmness,  we  seek  to  win  her  con- 
fidence and  to  receive  her  willing  and  cheerful  obedience. 

Our  punishment  consists  in  depriving  of  privilege  to  a  great  extent. 
If  a  girl  misbehaves  in  the  school-room  she  is  not  allowed  to  enter  again 
until  she  makes  proper  acknowledgment  of  her  wrong-doing  and  prom- 
ises better  conduct  in  the  future.  Neither  is  she  allowed  to  do  any  kind 
of  work  during  school  hours,  but  must  remain  standing  idly  in  the  hall. 

If  her  conduct  is  bad  in  the  general  collection-room,  or  in  passing 
down  to  her  meals,  she  is  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  the  dining-room 
for  awhile,  eating  her  food  alone  in  the  hall  above. 

Misbehavior  in  Sunday-school  or  church  deprives  her  of  those  services 
until  she  thinks  she  can  act  differently.  A  girl  who  persists  in  quar- 
reling or  fighting,  or  in  making  disturbance  of  any  kind  throughout  the 
house,  is  removed  from  the  family  to  her  dormitory  for  awhile,  where 
she  remains  alone  during  the  day,  with  work  for  working  hours  and 
books  for  recreation.  Sometimes,  as  in  many  private  families,  her 
clothes  are  locked  up  and  she  must  stay  in  bed.  When  these  remedies 
all  fail,  then  to  a  solitary  room  she  must  go,  with  no  privilege  save  that 
of  her  own  bad  companionship. 

The  switch  or  small  round  strap  is  sometimes  used  when  necessity 
requires,  especially  with  the  children  and  younger  girls.  The  spirit  and 
tone  of  the  house  is  better  even  than  a  year  ago.  Fewer  punishments, 
and  these  of  shorter  duration,  are  needed,  while  with  very  many  girls 
only  a  word  of  reproof  is  necessary. 

Forty-four  girls  have  been  received  during  the  year;  thirty  have  been 
discharged,  being  of  age;  eighteen  are  now  out  on  ticket-of-leave,  giving 
ordinary  satisfaction;  ten  have  been  returned  for  various  reasons,  some 
doing  wrong  that  they  might  come  back. 

While  our  hearts  are  often  pained  by  the  abandonment  of  some  of  our 
girls  to  lives  of  licentiousness  and  vice,  others  are  doing  so  well  as  to 
inspire  within  us  a  song  of  thankfulness  that  we  have  been  permitted 
to  take  them  by  the  hand  and  lift  them  out  of  wrong-doing  into  better 
paths. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  57 


PAET 
State    Prisons. 


OHIO   PENITENTIARY. 

This  institution  is  situated  at  Columbus,  either  within  or  adjoining 
the  city  limits,  and  the  site  consists  of  twenty-six  acres,  of  wrhich  twenty- 
two  are  included  within  the  walls.  The  buildings,  including  the  shops, 
cell  blocks,  administration  buildings,  and  others,  number  thirty-eight. 
The  wall  surrounding  the  grounds  is  three  feet  thick  at  the  bottom, 
eighteen  inches  at  the  top,  is  twenty -two  feet  in  height  above  the  ground, 
with  seven  feet  in  foundation.  The  w.all  is  surrounded  with  heavy 
dressed  stone  coping  four  inches  thick  and  three  feet  in  width.  It  has 
a  total  length  of  three  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  the 
entire  cost  exceeded  $58,000. 

The  total  receipts  for  last  year  were  $245,559  75,  and  the  expenditures 
$230,377  35,  leaving  the  prison  not  only  self-sustaining,  but  with  a  sur- 
plus of  $15,182  40.  Certainly  a  creditable  showing. 

The  prison  is  under  a  management  of  a  Board  of  five  Managers,  at 
least  two  of  whom  the  law  requires  shall  be  practical  and  skilled 
mechanics,  and  not  more  than  three  of  whom  are  to  belong  to  the  same 
political  party.  Their  term  of  office  is  five  years,  and  they  are  appointed 
by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate.  The 
Governor  has  power  to  remove  any  member  at  his  discretion.  Each 
member  is  entitled  to  $10  per  day  as  compensation  for  his  services  not 
exceeding  one  hundred  days  in  a  year,  and  this  sum  includes  all  expenses. 

In  Ohio  the  Courts  have  power,  if  deemed  proper,  to  sentence  any 
person  convicted  of  a  felony,  other  than  murder  in  the  second  degree, 
who  has  not  previously  been  convicted  of  a  felony  and  served  a  term  in 
a  penal  institution,  to  a  general  sentence  of  imprisonment  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. Such  imprisonment  cannot  exceed  the  maximum  term  fixed 
by  law,  and  cannot  be  less  than  the  minimum,  but  may  be  terminated 
at  any  time  between  these  periods  by  good  conduct.  In  the  case  of  such 
a  sentence  the  clerk  of  the  Court  is  required  to  furnish  to  the  Warden 
a  record  containing  a  copy  of  the  indictment  and  any  special  plea  that 
may  have  been  made,  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  Judge  presiding 
at  the  trial,  the  jurors,  and  witnesses  sworn  on  the  trial,  and  also  a 


58  EEFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

statement  of  any  fact  which  the  Judge  may  deem  necessary  for  the  com- 
prehension of  the  case,  with  his  reasons  for  the  sentence  inflicted. 

When  a  convict  is  discharged,  if  he  has  passed  the  term  of  imprison- 
ment without  a  breach  of  the  rules  or  discipline,  except  such  as  are 
excused  by  the  Board,  he  is  restored  to  the  rights  forfeited  by  his  con- 
viction, and  receives  from  the  Governor  a  certificate,  under  the  seal  of 

State,  of  such  restoration.  If  he  is not  at  the  time  of  his  discharge 

entitled  to  this  restoration,  yet  if  his  conduct  for  a  year  after  his  release 
has  been  exemplary,  he  may  present  to  the  Governor  a  certificate  signed 
by  ten  or  more  reputable  citizens  of  the  place  where  he  has  resided  for 
such  time,  certified  to  be  such  by  the  Probate  Judge  of  the  county,  and 
he  then  becomes  entitled  to  a  restoration  of  his  rights. 

For  good  behavior  a  convict  is  allowed  by  way  of  commutation  of  sen- 
tence, for  each  month  of  the  first  year  five  days,  for  the  second  year 
seven  days  for  each  month,  for  the  third  year  nine  days  for  each  month, 
and  for  the  fourth  and  subsequent  years  ten  days  for  each  month. 

The  Warden  is  authorized  to  place  to  the  credit  of  all  prisoners,  ex- 
cept those  sentenced  for  life,  such  amount  of  their  earnings  as  the  Board 
may  deem  equitable,  taking  into  consideration  the  character  of  the  pris- 
oner, the  nature  of  the  crime  for  which  he  was  imprisoned,  and  his  gen- 
eral deportment;  but  such  credit  cannot  exceed  twenty  per  cent  of  the 
prisoner's  earnings.  At  least  one  fourth  of  this  amount  is  retained  for 
the  prisoner,  and  paid  to  him  at  the  time  of  his  restoration  to  citizen- 
ship, but  the  balance  may  be  paid  to  him  or  his  family  at  such  time 
and  in  such  manner  as  the  Board  of  Managers  may  deem  best. 

The  Warden  holds  his  office  for  the  term  of  two  years,  unless  sooner 
removed  for  cause,  and  is  required  to  be  a  person  who,  from  practical 
experience,  possesses  the  ability  and  qualifications  to  carry  on  success- 
fully the  industries  of  the  penitentiary,  and  the  ability  essential  to  the 
proper  management  of  the  officers  and  other  employes  under  his  juris- 
diction, and  to  enforce  and  maintain  proper  discipline  in  every  depart- 
ment. One  Guard  or  minor  officer  is  to  be  appointed  from  each  county 
in  the  State  until  the  necessary  number  is  secured.  The  Warden's  bond 
is  $50,000,  and  the  bond  is  drawn  by  the  Attorney-General,  and  deposited 
with  the  Secretary  of  State. 

If  a  prisoner  dies,  and  if  none  of  his  relatives,  after  notice,  or  friends 
request  the  body  for  interment,  the  body,  either  before  or  after  burial, 
may,  on  written  application  of  the  professor  of  anatomy  in  any  medical 
college,  or  the  President  of  any  county  medical  society,  be  delivered  to 
such  person  for  the  purpose  of  medical  or  surgical  study  or  dissection. 

At  the  time  when  I  visited  the  prison  it  had  one  thousand  five  hun- 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  59 

dred  and  sixty  inmates.  They  are  classified  into  three  grades.  When 
a  convict  is  received  he  enters  the  second  or  middle  grade,  and  his  sub- 
sequent conduct  determines  whether  he  shall  be  elevated  to  the  first  or 
lowered  to  the  third  grade.  If  he  serves  for  six  months  in  the  second 
grade,  and  conducts  himself  in  accordance  with  the  rules,  he  is  entitled 
{o  a  place  in  the  first  grade.  Those  in  the  first  grade  are  allowed  to 
wear  mustaches.  Friends  may  supply  a  convict  with  underclothing, 
but  all  prisoners  are  required  to  dress  in  the  uniform  of  their  respective 
grades. 

The  convicts  are  permitted,  if  they  so  desire,  to  decorate  their  cells 
and  to  place  carpet  and  furniture  in  them.  Some  of  the  cells  that  I 
inspected,  occupied  by  criminals  who  before  their  advent  into  a  penal 
colony  dwelt  in  stately  mansions,  were  quite  elaborately  furnished. 

They  all  have  the  same  prison  fare,  except  that  friends  may  once  a 
month  supply  a  convict  with  a  meal  when  they  visit  him.  The  princi- 
pal punishment  is  the  dungeon  and  solitary  confinement,  although  the 
shower  bath  is  occasionally  used. 

Daily  newspapers  are  strictly  excluded  from  the  prison,  and  while 
weekly  papers  are  admitted,  still  all  statements  about  criminals  or  the 
commission  of  crimes  are  cut  out  before  the  papers  are  delivered  to  the 
prisoners. 

The  convicts  all  eat  in  one  large  dining-room,  as  they  do  in  our 
prisons.  The  prison  has  two  thousand  cells,  and  only  one  man  is  placed 
in  a  cell. 

One  of  the  rules  of  the  present  Warden,  Mr.  Coffin,  which  has  been 
in  force  for  two  years,  is  that  if  six  or  a  less  number  of  the  prisoners  are 
reported  for  offenses,  they  are  allowed  to  talk  at  dinner.  The  Warden 
states  that  this  rule  works  admirably.  To  this  prison  are  sent  those 
convicted  by  the  Federal  Courts  in  the  Territories  and  in  the  Southern 
States. 

While  walking  through  the  prison  yard  I  noticed  two  persons  care- 
fully guarded  by  an  officer,  walking  up  and  down  for  exercise.  They 
had  been  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  were  soon  to  be 
hung  as  the  penalty  of  their  guilt.  In  Ohio  the  death  penalty  is  enforced 
only  by  the  Warden,  or  in  case  of  his  death,  inability,  or  absence,  by  a 
Deputy  Warden.  This  punishment  can  be  inflicted  only  within  the 
walls  of  the  prison,  within  an  inclosure  to  be  prepared  for  that  purpose, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Warden  and  the  Board  of  Managers.  This 
inclosure  is  to  be  constructed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hide  the  gallows 
from  public  view.  The  execution  takes  place  on  the  day  appointed  by 
the  Court,  before  the  hour  of  sunrise,  and  the  Warden  or  Deputy  War- 


60  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

den  executing  the  sentence  receives  $50  for  his  services  as  executioner. 
At  the  execution,  besides  the  Warden  and  such  number  of  Guards  as  he 
may  deem  necessary,  there  may  be  present  the  Sheriff  of  the  county  in 
which  the  prisoner  was  convicted,  the  Board  of  Managers  and  Physician 
of  the  prison,  the  clergyman  in  attendance  upon  the  prisoner,  and  such 
other  persons  as  the  prisoner  may  designate,  not  exceeding  three  in 
number,  representatives  of  not  exceeding  three  newspapers  in  the  county 
where  the  crime  was  committed,  and  one  reporter  for  each  of  the  daily 
newspapers  published  in  Columbus.  No  other  person  is  permitted  to  be 
present. 

The  statutes  of  the  State  provide  that  the  Warden  shall  furnish  each 
convict  with  a  Bible,  and  shall  permit,  as  often  as  he  may  think  proper, 
regular  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  preach  to  the  convicts. 

The  Governor,  heads  of  all  departments,  members  of  the  Legislature, 
and  such  other  persons  as  the  Warden  may  think  proper,  are  admitted 
as  visitors  within  the  walls  of  the  prison  free  of  charge.  The  law  pro- 
vides that  the  Board  of  Managers  may  prescribe  a  reasonable  sum  for 
going  through  the  prison,  and  that  the  Warden  shall  procure  suitable 
tickets,  which  shall  be  sold  by  the  Clerk,  who  shall  keep  an  account  of 
such  sales  and  pay  the  money  to  the  Warden  daily,  and  that  the  Guard 
at  the  door  of  the  guard-room  shall  also  keep  an  account  of  them  in  a 
book  as  they  are  received,  and  return  them  to  the  Warden  each  day 
before  the  prison  is  closed.  The  admission  price  fixed  by  the  Board  for 
general  visitors  is  twenty-five  cents. 

The  prisoners  are  not  allowed  to  exchange  a  word  with  each  other 
under  any  pretense,  nor  communicate  any  intelligence  to  each  other  in 
writing.  They  are  not  permitted  to  exchange  looks,  winks,  or  laughs  at 
each  other,  or  make  use  of  any  signs,  except  such  as  are  necessary  to 
convey  their  wants  to  the  Guards  or  other  officers.  They  are  not  per- 
mitted to  speak  to  the  Guards  on  ordinary  topics,  nor  address  them, 
except  in  relation  to  the  work  of  the  prision. 

Each  male  prisoner  is  allowed  one  hat  or  cap,  one  jacket,  two  hickory 
shirts,  one  pair  of  pantaloons,  and  one  pair  of  shoes.  During  the  winter 
season  the  Warden  allows  sufficient  underclothing  to  such  prisoners  as  in 
his  judgment  may  require  it,  and  to  each  man  a  vest  and  two  pair  of 
socks.  All  other  clothing  found  in  the  possession  of  a  prisoner  is  taken 
away  from  him.  Each  prisoner  may  also  have  in  his  possession  one 
handkerchief,  toothpick,  and  toothbrush,  a  fine  and  coarse  comb,  pho- 
tographs of  his  friends,  a  knife,  the  blade  of  which  must  not  exceed  one 
inch  in  length  and  be  blunt  at  the  point,  and  his  own  books.  But  no 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  61 

prisoner  is  allowed  to  have  books  or  papers  of  his  own  except  by  per- 
mission of  the  Warden. 

Mention*  has  already  been  made  of  the  division  of  the  prison  into 
three  grades.  When  a  prisoner  is  received,  after  undergoing  the  ordi- 
nary bathing  and  clothing,  he  is  described  in  the  register  and  medically 
examined.  Questions  are  then  propounded  to  him  concerning  his  pre- 
vious history,  to  ascertain  as  nearly  as  possible  the  causes  of  his  crime 
and  the  best  probable  plan  of  treatment.  When  the  examination  is 
concluded,  careful  instruction  is  given  to  him  in  his  liabilities,  rights, 
and  privileges  under  the  law;  and  the  prison  regulations  and  the  system 
of  marks  followed  at  the  prison,  with  the  conditions  of  promotion,  degra- 
dation, and  release,  are  fully  explained  to  him.  He  enters  the  second 
grade  and  is  assigned  to  a  suitable  industry.  He  may  be  promoted  to 
the  first  grade  by  earning  nine  marks  for  six  months  successively  after 
the  minimum  term  of  service  for  his  crime  has  expired.  Of  the  marks 
to  be  earned  each  month,  three  count  for  labor,  three  for  demeanor,  and 
three  for  progress  in  school.  He  may  be  degraded  to  the  third  class  for 
such  deliberate  and  continued  violations  of  the  rules  and  regulations  as 
the  Warden  may  deem  sufficient  cause  for  such  degradation;  for  such 
acts  of  disobedience,  quarreling,  destruction  of  property,  and  misconduct 
generally  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Warden,  are  incompatible  with  the 
the  good  order  of  the  prison;  for  the  unnecessary  or  wanton  destruction 
or  injury  to  any  property,  or  lack  of  care  in  its  preservation;  or  for  the 
violation  of  any  regulation  of  prison  discipline^  which,  in  the  Warden's 
opinion,  materially  affects  the  condition  of  the  prisoner  or  the  grade  to 
which  he  belongs.  A  third  grade  prisoner  may,  in  the  discretion  of  the 
Warden,  be  restored  to  the  second  grade  for  three  months'  good  conduct 
in  labor  and  demeanor. 

Prisoners  in  the  first  grade  are  clothed  in  blue,  those  in  the  second 
in  gray,  while  those  in  the  third  grade  are  clothed  in  prison  stripes  and 
march  in  the  lock-step. 

The  Warden  resides  at  the  penitentiary  in  apartments  assigned  to 
him  and  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the  State  in  a  plain  and  substan- 
tial manner.  The  Matron  also  resides  at  the  prison,  but  all  the  other 
officers  live  in  the  City  of  Columbus.  The  Warden  is  required  to  examine 
daily  into  the  condition  of  the  prison,  and  to  visit  every  department  and 
see  every  prisoner  as  often  as  may  be  required  for  good  order  and  proper 
discipline,  and  when  not  necessarily  engaged  in  superintending  general 
affairs  and  supervising  his  assistants  in  the  performance  of  their  duties, 
he  is  required  to  remain  during  working  hours  in  the  Warden's  office. 
Every  night,  before  retiring,  he  passes  through  the  prison  and  satisfies 


62  REFOEMATOKY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

himself  that  all  is  safe  and  that  the  Night  Guards  are  properly  discharg- 
ing their  duty. 

When  he  is  not  prevented  by  sickness  or  other  cause,-  he  Is  required, 
under  the  rules,  to  attend  divine  service  whenever  it  may  be  held  in 
the  chapel  of  the  prison,  and  to  inspect  the  moral  character  of  the  pris- 
oners. 

A  prison  school  is  maintained  at  this  institution,  which  is  under  the 
charge  of  a  Guard  qualified  for  the  place,  and  detailed  for  that  purpose 
by  the  Warden,  and  he  has  charge  of  the  illiterate  and  other  prisoners 
attending  the  school.  He  assists  the  prisoners  appointed  as  teachers 
and  makes  a  report  monthly  as  to  the  attendance  of  the  prisoners  and 
the  progress  made  in  their  studies. 

Guards  are  strictly  enjoined  to  refrain  from  whistling,  scuffling, 
immoderate  laughter,  boisterous  conversation,  exciting  discussions  on 
politics,  religion,  or  other  subjects,  provoking  witticisms  or  sarcasms, 
and  all  other  acts  calculated  to  disturb  the  harmony  and  good  order  of 
the  prison.  They  are  required  to  be  men  of  good  moral  character  and 
of  temperate  habits,  and  for  consorting  with  lewd  or  vicious  company 
they  may  be  discharged. 

No  officer  or  employe  is  permitted  to  use  ardent  spirits,  wines,  strong 
beer,  or  ale,  upon  any  occasions  in  or  about  the  prison,  nor  is  any  per- 
son permitted  to  bring  any  intoxicating  liquor  within  the  prison  walls, 
except  for  the  hospital  to  be  used  for  medicine,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Warden  or  Physician. 

In  Ohio  much  progress  has  been  made  in  prison  management,  and 
not  the  least  important  of  the  features  of  its  penal  system  are  the  parole 
law  and  the  law  relative  to  habitual  criminals.  In  1885  the  Legislature 
conferred  upon  the  Board  of  Managers  power  to  establish  rules  and 
regulations  under  which  any  prisoner  imprisoned  under  a  sentence  other 
than  for  murder  in  the  first  or  second  degree,  who  had  served  the  mini- 
mum term  provided  by  law  for  the  crime  for  which  he  was  convicted, 
and  who  had  not  previously  been  convicted  of  a  felony,  might  be 
allowed  to  go  upon  parole  outside  of  the  buildings  and  inclosures,  but 
to  remain,  while  on  parole,  in  the  legal  custody  and  under  the  control 
of  the  Board  and  subject  at  any  time  to  be  taken  back  within  the 
inclosure  of  the  prison.  The  Legislature  also  conferred  power  upon  the 
Board  to  enforce  the  rules  and  regulations  made  by  them  and  to  reim- 
prison  any  convict  upon  parole.  No  prisoner  is,  however,  paroled, 
under  the  rules  adopted  by  the  Board,  unless  he  has  been  in  the  first 
grade  continuously  for  a  period  of  at  least  four  months,  nor  until  the 
Board  is  satisfied  that-  the  prisoner  will  conform  to  the  rules  and  regu- 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  63 

lations  of  his  parole,  and  satisfactory  evidence  is  furnished  to  the  Board 
in  writing  that  employment  has  been  secured  for  him,  from  some  respon- 
sible person,  certified  to  be  such  by  the  Auditor  of  the  county  where 
such  person  resides.  It  requires  the  affirmative  vote  of  at  least  four 
members  of  the  Board  to  grant  a  parole,  and  every  paroled  prisoner 
may  be  retaken  for  any  reason  that  may  be  satisfactory  to  the  Board, 
and  at  their  sole  discretion,  and  when  retaken  he  remains  in  confine- 
ment until  released  by  law. 

The  prisoner,  when  paroled,  is  required  to  proceed  to  the  place  of  em- 
ployment provided  for  him,  and  remain  at  such  place,  if  practicable,  for 
a  period  of  at  least  six  months.  If  he  desires  to  change  his  place  of 
employment  or  residence,  he  must  first  obtain  the  written  consent  of  the 
Board.  He  is  required  to  conduct  himself  honestly,  avoid  evil  associa- 
tions, obey  the  law,  abstain  from  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a 
beverage,  and  on  the  first  day  of  each  month  until  his  final  release,  for- 
ward by  mail,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Board,  a  report  of  himself,  stating 
whether  he  has  been  constantly  in  receipt  of  wages  during  the  preceding 
month,  and  if  not,  stating  the  reason  therefor;  the  amount  of  money 
that  he  has  earned,  the  amount  that  he  has  expended,  and  a  general 
statement  of  his  surroundings  and  prospects. 

Mr.  Coffin,  the  Warden  (in  answer  to  a  question  of  mine),  said  that 
this  law  works  well  and  produces  beneficial  results.  To  avoid  the  pressure 
of  friends  to  secure  paroles  for  prisoners,  the  Board  will  hear  no  oral 
argument  by  attorneys  or  others  in  the  interest  of  prisoners  who  have 
made  application  for  parole,  but  all  such  efforts  must  be  placed  in  writ- 
ing and  filed  with  the  application  of  the  prisoner  to  whom  it  refers. 

Ohio  also  recognizes  the  existence  of  the  habitual  criminal,  and  to 
prevent  him  from  preying  on  society,  restrains  him  for  life.  A  person 
who  has  been  twice  convicted,  sentenced,  and  imprisoned  in  a  penal 
institution  for  felony,  whether  committed  in  Ohio  or  elsewhere  within 
the  limits  of  the  United  States,  and  who  is  convicted  and  sentenced  to 
the  Ohio  Penitentiary  for  felony,  is  deemed  an  habitual  criminal.  He 
is  not  entitled  to  a  discharge  on  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he 
was  sentenced,  but,  unless  pardoned  by  the  Governor,  he  is  to  be  detained 
in  prison  during  the  term  of  his  natural  life.  The  Board  of  Managers, 
however,  have  power,  after  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  the  pris- 
oner was  sentenced,  to  allow  him,  in  their  discretion,  to  go  upon  parole 
outside  of  the  buildings  and  inclosures,  but  to  remain  in  the  legal  cus- 
tody of  the  Board,  subject  at  any  time  to  be  taken  back. 

A  woolen  mill  is  conducted  at  the  prison,  which  makes  an  indestruct- 
ible blanket  for  the  Insane  Asylums  of  the  State.  It  also  makes  cloth 


64 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


for  prison  clothes,  and  the  Managers  desired  to  obtain  an  order  to  supply 
the  California  Prisons.  The  meat  supplied  to  the  prison  costs  6|  cents 
a  pound  at  Cincinnati.  The  salaries  paid  are  as  follows: 

Warden $1,800  per  annum. 

Deputy  Warden $1,200  per  annum. 

Assistant  Deputy  Warden $900  per  annum. 

Secretary $1 ,500  per  annum. 

Clerk $1,500  per  annum. 

Assistant  Clerk $900  per  annum. 

Steward $1,200  per  annum. 

Storekeeper $900  per  annum. 

Physician $900  per  annum. 

Superintendent  of  Hospital  (day) $780  per  annum. 

Superintendent  of  Hospital  (night) $780  per  annum. 

Captain  of  Night  Watch .$900  per  annum. 

Captain  of  Guard-room $900  per  annum. 

The  Guards  receive  $65  per  month,  without  board  or  lodging. 

The  various  other  officers,  such  as  Superintendent  of  Construction, 
Superintendent  of  State  Shop,  Superintendent  of  Subsistence,  Superin- 
tendent of  Gas  Works,  Superintendent  of  Yard,  Superintendent  of  Piece 
Price  Work,  Superintendent  of  Woolen  Mill,  and  Superintendent  of 
School,  each  receive  $65  per  month.  The  Matron  receives  $50  per 
month  and  board  and  lodging. 

The  per  capita  expense  for  last  year  was  $176  67  for  the  entire  year, 
or  an  average  of  48.296  cents  per  day,  and  was  thus  distributed: 


Expenses 
for  Year. 

Per  Capita  Expense. 

Day. 

Year. 

$5,000  00 
22,250  51 
75,944  11 
235  65 
67  63 
402  85 
2,821  15 
11,500  40 
799  97 
3,372  44 
70  55 
4,198  02 
1,539  68 
530  81 
1,078  70 
319  29 
18,399  27 
5,352  83 
3,370  55 
63,863  79 
2,496  74 
1,958  86 
2,536  47 
2,267  08 
15,182  40 

Managers.  .  ...  

$0  00.983 
04.376 
14.936 
00.047 
00.013 
00.079 
00.555 
02.262 
00.157 
00.663 
00.014 
00.826 
00.303 
00.105 
00.212 
00.063 
03.619 
01.053 
00663 
12.560 
00.491 
00.385 
00.499 
00.446 
02.986 

$3  59ft 
1600ft 
54  63ft 
16ft 
04ft 
28ft 
2  03 
8  27ft 
57ft 
2  42ft 
ttft 
3  02 
1  10ft 
38ft 
77ft 
23 
13  23ft 
3  85ft 
242ft 
45  94ft 
179ft 
140ft 
182ft 
163ft 
10  93 

Officers  

Guards  ,'  

Broom  shop  . 

Chapel    . 

Fein  ale  Department  

Flour  mill  . 

Fuel  

Halls  and  cells  

Hospital  .. 

Library.  

Miscellaneous  .. 

Offices  and  postage  

Photograph  gallery  

Printing  office  

School-room  

("Clothing  

State  shop  <  Shoe  

(.Tobacco  

Subsistence  

Wash  house  

Warden's  house  

Woolen  mill  

Yard  and  stable  

By  balance  

$245,559  75 

?0  48.296 

$176  67 

REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS.  65 

There  were  at  the  time  of  my  visit  thirty  female  prisoners  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. They  are  now  engaged  in  caning  chairs,  but  had  previously 
been  engaged  in  cigarmaking. 

If  a  prisoner  desires  to  see  the  Warden  or  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  he  sends  notice  on  a  printed  slip,  which  must  be  delivered  to 
the  person  to  whom  it  is  addressed.  Each  prisoner  is  furnished  with  a 
number  of  these  slips  and  can  make  this  request  as  often  as  he  desires, 
stating  the  reason  for  which  he  desires  the  interview. 

The  inmates  are  allowed  two  plugs  of  chewing  tobacco  each  week. 
The  plugs  used  are  two  inches  wide,  four  inches  long,  and  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  thick.  No  smoking  is  permitted  except  on  the  fourth  of  July, 
Christmas,  and  Thanksgiving  Day.  Each  prisoner  on  these  days  is 
allowed  two  cigars,  costing  $15  per  thousand.  Friends  are  allowed  to 
furnish  a  prisoner  with  chewing  tobacco  of  a  quality  different  from  that 
supplied  by  the  prison,  but  not  of  any  larger  size. 

The  cell-doors,  instead  of  being  made  of  impenetrable  heavy  iron,  are 
composed  of  bars  in  the  form  of  a  grating.  It  is  claimed  by  the  prison 
officers  that  these  doors,  while  they  are  preferable  on  account  of  allowing 
the  sun  and  air  to  enter,  are  safer  also,  because  they  permit  an  uninter- 
rupted view  into  the  cells  to  be  had  at  all  times. 

On  Sunday  the  exercises  of  the  day  are  opened  by  the  Sunday-school, 
which  commences  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continues  for  an 
hour.  A  prayer  meeting  follows,  beginning  at  nine  o'clock  and  termi- 
nating at  ten.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  regular  services  commence,  and 
every  prisoner  is  required  to  attend.  The  services  last  for  half  an  hour. 
In  the  afternoon  the  prisoners  are  locked  up  in  their  cells  and  remain 
there  until  Monday  morning.  A  Catholic  priest  ministers  to  those  of 
his  faith. 

The  bill  of  fare  that  must  satisfy  the  appetite  of  the  prisoner  is  as 
follows: 

Breakfast. — Coffee,  bread  and  butter,  and  part  of  the  time  meat. 
Dinner. — Potatoes,  vegetable  soup,  meat,  bread,  one  or  two  apples  or 
a  ripe  tomato. 

Supper. — Tea,  molasses,  and  sometimes  meat  or  sausage. 

In  Ohio  it  is  recognized  that  protection  is  due  to  the  American  cow, 
for  it  is  provided  by  a  law  of  that  State  that  no  butter  or  cheese  not 
made  wholly  from  pure  milk  or  cream,  salt,  and  harmless  coloring 
matter,  shall  be  used  in  any  of  the  charitable  or  penal  institutions  of 
the  State. 

5D 


66  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

ILLINOIS    STATE    PENITENTIARY. 

This  penitentiary  is  situated  at  Joliet,  Illinois,  and  for  many  years 
was  under  the  superintendence  of  Major  R.  W.  McClaughrey,  who  now 
has  charge  of  the  reformatory  at  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania. 

During  the  year  ending  September  30,  1887,  the  total  earnings  of  the 
prison  were  $225,328  76,  and  during  the  year  ending  September  30, 1888, 
$201,719  05. 

At  the  time  that  I  visited  the  prison  the  fiscal  year  for  1889  had  not 
expired,  so  that  in  order  to  show  the  financial  management  of  the  prison 
I  shall  take  the  figures  of  1887  and  1888.  During  the  first  of  these 
years  the  prison  earned  from  labor  under  contract,  $220,536  80;  from 
railroad  dock  and  teaming,  $2,438  58;  and  from  the  labor  of  female 
prisoners,  $167  93;  which,  with  the  earnings  from  the  State  shops, 
amounting  to  $2,041  11,  and  the  net  gain  from  the  store,  make  the  total 
named.  The  average  price  paid  for  the  labor  of  convicts  under  contract 
was  62.71  cents  per  man  per  day,  and  the  average  earnings  per  man  per 
day,  including  productive  and  unproductive  men,  including  working 
days,  Sundays,  and  holidays,  amounted  to  42.31  cents. 

During  the  year  1888  the  amount  realized  from  the  earnings  of  con- 
victs under  contract  was  $194,112  32;  from  railroad  dock  and  teaming, 
$2,318  90;  from  the  labor  of  female  prisoners  and  idle-room,  $793  04; 
from  the  State  shops,  net  gain,  $1,772  05,  and  from  the  store  and  farm, 
$2,848  57.  The  average  contract  price  paid  for  contract  labor  was  63.06 
cents  per  man  per  day,  and  the  average  earnings  per  man  per  day,  includ- 
ing productive  and  unproductive  men,  including  working  days,  Sundays, 
and  holidays,  amounted  to  41.72  cents. 

During  the  year  ending  September  30,  1887,  the  average  number  of 
convicts  was  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine;  the  total  cost 
of  maintenance  during  the  year  was  $236,264  09,  and  the  average  cost 
for  each  convict  per  day,  or  the  per  diem,  was  44.36  cents,  or  $161  93 
for  the  year. 

Of  this  maintaining  cost,  the  sum  of  $102,924  10  was  for  salaries, 
board,  and  lodging  of  officers;  $58,924  10  for  convict  subsistence;  $16,- 
583  12  for  convict  clothing  and  bedding;  $19,830  98  for  convict  dis- 
charge clothing  and  transportation;  $5,786  55  for  cell-houses,  including 
rations  of  tobacco  and  writing  material;  $4,878  41  for  incidentals,  in- 
cluding fuel  and  other  supplies  for  shops,  guard  boxes,  solitary,  armory, 
yard,  female  prison,  etc.;  $5,316  13  for  teaming  and  stable  department; 
$934  61  for  hospital  (special  subsistence  supplies);  $1,920  61  for  hos- 
pital (sanitary  and  medical  supplies);  $11,487  85  for  motive  power  and 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


67 


steam  for  cooking,  heating,  and  ventilating;  $3,310  89  for  gas;  $5,068  85 
for  office  and  general  expenses,  legal  and  professional  services;  and  $3,- 
196  04  for  traveling,  advertising,  recapturing  escaped  prisoners,  and 
holiday  expenses,  etc. 

For  the  year  ending  September  30,  1888,  the  total  maintaining  cost 
of  the  prison  was  $225,686  88,  the  average  number  of  prisoners  1,321, 
and  the  cost  per  diem  46.68  cents.  The  details  of  this  cost  of  mainte- 
nance are  as  follows: 


DEPABTMENT  OF  EXPENSE. 

Total  During 
Year. 

PEE  CONVICT. 

Per  Year. 

Per  Day. 
Cents. 

Salaries,  board,  and  lodging  of  officers  

$102.007  00 
53.600  23 
14,759  95 
15,786  48 

5,741  91 

4,572  89 
4,116  90 
1,111  71 
1,765  18 

12,659  89 
3,190  77 

4,070  59 
2,303  38 

$77  22 
40  57 
11  17 
11  95 

4  35 

3  46 
3  12 

84 
1  34 

9  58 
2  42 

3  08 
1  74 

21.10 
11.10 
3.05 
3.26 

1.19 

0.94 
0.85 
0.23 
0.37 

2.62 
0.66 

0.84 

0.47 

Convict  subsistence  

Convict  clothing  and  bedding  . 

Convict  discharge  clothing  and  transportation  

Cell-houses,  including  rations  of  tobacco  and  writing 
material  

Incidentals,  including  fuel  and  other  supplies  for  shops, 
guard  boxes,  solitary,  armory,  yard,  female  prison,  etc.. 
Teaming  and  stable  department  

Hospital  (  special  subsistence  supplies)  

Hospital  (sanitary  and  medical  supplies)     

Motive  power  and  steam  for  cooking,  heating,  and  ven- 
tilating      ...  . 

Gas                        

Office  and  general  expenses,  legal  and  professional  ser- 
vices    

Traveling,  advertising,  recapturing  escaped  convicts, 
and  holiday  expenses,  etc.  .  

Totals  

$225,686  88 

$170  84 

46.68 

Average  of  convicts  (for  vear) 1,321 

Number  of  days'  board  (for  year) 483,491 

The  following  will  show  the  quantities  and  cost  of  convict  subsistence 
and  the  average  cost  per  convict,  for  the  fiscal  years  ending  September 
30,  1887,  and  September  30,  1888: 


ARTICLES. 

TOTAL,  1887. 

TOTAT,,  1888. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Fresh  beef  pounds         

182,770 
21,732- 
36,499 
31,717 
32,650 
4,951 
50,544 
3,260 
39,213 
2,557 
200 
7,003 
1,281 
8,880 
3,101 
734 
819 

$12,322  22 
1,345  69 
2,414  57 
2,380  97 
1,379  25 
425  16 
2,913  15 
338  81 
3,962  06 
179  27 
200  00 
426  30 
152  07 
1,645  02 
12,407  01 
183  50 
134  18 

197,547 
22,983 
11,473 
21,066 

$12,249  04 
1,101  10 
468  12 
1308  48 

Salt  beef,  pounds    

Fresh  porlc,  pounds    

Salt  pork  and  bacon  pounds                        

Hocks  pounds 

Veal  mutton  and  lamb  pounds               

6,661 
49,419 
3,158 
36,412 
3,653 
100 
11,940 
1,260§ 
5,910 
2,946 
600 
2,546 

542  81 
3,023  52 
328  74 
3,037  25 
297  84 
110  00 
820  90 
156  21 
1,140  23 
11,193  87 
154  14 
400  32 

Sausage,  pounds          -     

Turkev  and  chickens  pounds        .  -  

Shoulders,  pounds   

Lard  pounds                             -  ..  ... 

Oysters,  gallons  .  

Codfish,  pounds                    .     -  ...... 

Eggs,  dozens  

Butter,  pounds              .        -     

Flour,  barrels  

Yeast,  pounds                    

Milk,  eallons  .  . 

68 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 
SUBSISTENCE  ACCOUNT — Continued. 


ARTICLES. 

TOTAL,  1887. 

TOTAL,  1888. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

374 
6,555 
42 
394§ 
124 
171 
26§ 
12,208 
613f 

$11  11 
5,075  45 
52  12 
421  25 
51  80 
222  10 
33  50 
67  87 
1,219  94 
351  23 

Potatoes  bushels               -     .    .    --.  

7,534 
166 
319 

$5,874  80 
64  30 
189  50 

Parsnips,  bushels  

Onions  bushels      --.    ---  -----  

Tomatoes  bushels                ---  -  -..-.--.-.. 

Turnips  bushels  

393 
95i 
27,490 
501 
76 
17 
5 

161  50 
49  00 
152  74 
347  66 
166  70 
82  48 
20  48 

Beets  bushels                   -  -  -----  .  .... 

Cabbage,  pounds  

White  beans,  bushels   

Apples  barrels       -  _-.    .  -  

Pickles  barrels                        -    -      --------- 

Sauerkraut  barrels 

Carrots  bushels          -      -.    ....  .....____. 

22 

27  65 
169  51 
935  60 
2,420  54 
6  22 
290  97 
718  75 
61  30 
366  46 
65  60 
200  39 
31  32 
158  05 
17  38 
127  48 
29  42 
4  66 
59  68 
31  03 
13  37 
216  04 
323  95 
616  50 
632  81 
249  30 
1,532  58 
415  84 
217  40 

Farni  vegetables 

170  29 
527  19 
2,229  00 
19  15 
48  74 
782  73 
93  05 
346  49 
58  90 
243  30 
74  44 
46  50 
77  65 

Tea  pounds         .  .......--.  ..  ... 

1,989 
15,957 
6 
730 
55 
373 
1,468 
67 
37 
245J 
781 
24 

2,415 
12,115 
3 
3,895 
46 
241 
1,553 
69 
29 
101 
2,347 

*i 

3,676 
166 
10 
810 
93£ 
183 
65 
89i 
136 

Coffee,  pounds  .  

Crackers,  barrels.  ... 

Sugar  pounds          -----  .......--.-.  ...... 

Syrup,  barrels  .  

Ginger,  pounds     .  .  ...  .... 

Pepper,  pounds  

Salt,  barrels  ..  ... 

Vinegar,  barrels  .  

Mustard,  pounds    ..  

Rice,  pounds  ..  .  

Hominy,  pounds  ..  .  .  

Barley,  pounds    .  .......... 

Allspice,  pounds  .  

266 

46  03 

Cinnamon,  pounds  ..  .....  ... 

Currants,  pounds  

1,046 
156 

70  10 
42  32 

Baking  powder,  pounds  

Soda,  pounds  ..  

Soap,  boxes  

66 
51| 
92 

217  73 
155  85 
533  35 
675  34 
155  71 
1,460  33 
459  44 
248  63 

Ice,  tons  

Coal,  tons  .... 

Implements  and  utensils  

Female  prison  

Board  01  convicts  in  Warden  house  

Hospital  

Repairs  on  implements  

Totals  

$58,170  17 
144  22 

$53,778  74 
178  51 

Credits  for  sundry  sales  

Net  totals  

$58,025  95 

$53,600  23 

Total  number  of  days'  board  

533,526 
1,459 



483,491 
1,321 



Daily  average  number  of  convicts  

A  _.                               (  Per  day  —  cents  .. 

10.9 

$39  77 

11.1 

$40  57 

Average  cost  per  man  j  Per  ye*r_dollars 

REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


69 


The  issues  of  the  Clothing  Department  for  convict  clothing  and  bed- 
ding, the  aggregate  expense  for  the  same,  and  the  average  cost  per  con- 
vict for  the  fiscal  years  ending  September  30,  1887,  and  September  30, 
1888,  are  shown  by  the  following: 


ARTICLES. 

TOTAL,  1887. 

TOTAL,  1888. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Clothing. 
Coats  and  overcoats   _  . 

628 
1,821 
543 
64 
23 
1,059 
79 
78 
2,452 

$1,444  50 
2,822  55 
597  30 
192  00 
44  00 
2,479  00 
243  50 
239  75 

693 
2,158 
657 

19 
907 
68 
21 
2,904 
204 
386 
368 
496J 
65^$ 

1,286 

2,91$* 
2,639 
289 
1,376 
57 
64 
5 
17 
87 
44 

10,394! 

l',048 
1^217 

2,082 
52 
6 
8 

$1,590  05 
3,345  35 
742  30 
199  25 
38  85 
2,132  64 
222  50 
59  75 

Pants  .  

Vests  

Caps  

Straw  hats  

Shoes  

Boots                   ..     

Rubber  boots  

Hickory  shirts  

Undershirts  . 

938 
275 
1,175 

Woolen  shirts  

Drawers  

Socks  

1721 
511 
992 
65 
2,413 

1,127  06 
816  23 

1,320  76 
555  88 

Gloves  and  mitts   . 

Scarfs  

Suspenders           

Combs  .  

30  44 

37  66 

Handkerchiefs  

Duck  aprons    

3,069 

Oversleeves  

266 
1,963 

Shop  towels  

Convict  slippers  

Sneak  shoes  . 

45 
5 

105 
52 
17 
8,047i 
1,1691 
6,118 
l,003i. 
4,05ll 
1,453 
61 
2,543| 
80 
9 
8 

Pants  buttons  

6  60 
7  41 
64  75 
41  60 
23  20 
794  21 
349  43 
728  00 
100  12 
460  12 
163  35 
45  75 
813  03 
20  00 
9  40 
12  70 
13  80 
57  00 
174  32 
«i->noi    10 

6  95 
15  50 
75  85 
34  72 
21  70 
1,080  51 
500  54 
446  56 
120  00 
470  94 
154  43 
47  85 
464  91 
14  00 
6  20 
11  85 
17  04 
18  80 
168  56 

<M9001    on 

Agate  buttons  

Spool  cotton  

Spool  linen  .  

Skein  linen  

Hickorv  .  . 

Check  flannel  

Cotton  flannel  

Handkerchief  muslin  

Duck  .  . 

Crash  

Stripes  

Sole  leather  

Calf  patching  

Shoe  thread  

Shoe  oil  and  ink 

Shoe  nails  

Shoe  lace  

110 

42 

Sundries  ...   .  -  . 

70 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 
CLOTHING  AND  BEDDING  ACCOUNT — Continued. 


ARTICLES. 

TOTAL,  1887. 

TOTAL,  1888. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Quan. 

Cost. 

Laundry. 
Soap  

61 
44 

2,765 
9,943 
6 

603 
3,132| 

'560 
211 
434 

•""ifffffO 

|206  55 
168  85 
138  25 
192  66 
14  79 

**7O1      1A 

74 
35 
2,350 
1,490 
3 

$240  24 
133  75 
117  50 
113  27 
13  08 

«fi17    c-f 

Potash  

Tallow  

Salsoda  

Marking  ink  

Bedding. 
Blankets 

1,500  00 
239  85 
177  82 

Sheeting    ...  . 

3,092| 
555J 
905 

261  05 

72  37 

Ticking  

Pillow  cases  

Pillow  ticks 

Sheets 

810 

2?THny 

Straw  

133  29 
°<Wl  Ofi 

10  57 
313  99 

Freight  

17  04 

""4  18 

Repairs  on  tools,  etc. 

53  85 

56  05 

Totals  

$16,764  07 

$14,943  96 

Credit  for  sales  of  rags 

180  95 

184  01 

Net  totals  

$16,583  12 

$14,759  95 

Total  number  of  days  

532,526 

483,491 
1,321 

Daily  average  number   of 
convicts  

1,459 

Average  cost  per  man  per 
day  —  cents  

31 

30 

Average  cost  per  man  per 
year  —  dollars  

$11  37 

$11  17 

The  expense  of  discharging  convicts,  for  discharge  clothing  and 
transportation,  the  average  cost  per  prisoner  discharged,  and  the  average 
cost  per  convict  per  day,  during  the  two.  fiscal  years  ending  September 
30, 1888,  were  as  follows: 


KEFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


71 


DISCHARGE  CLOTHING. 

Suspenders  

1 

O 

| 

8 

8 

8 

I 

i8 

1 

n 

j 

8 

S 

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3 

Socks  

m 

0 
O 

8S8 

m  oo  **< 

(N 

« 

8 

I 

^88 

83 

TH  TH 

8 

TH 

TH 

§3 

Vr 

8 

Q 

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H(0 

TH 
TH 

s? 

- 

sr 

—  S3 

TH 

o 

TH 

$ 

Undershirts  and 
Drawers  

W 

0 

o 

8 
it 

8 

o 

TH 

8 

10 

TH 

<N 

s 

TH 

00 

8 

8 

S 

8 
SS 

CO 

§ 

Q 

8 

TH 

O 

rH 

t 

I5 

8 

rH 

S 

qp 

S 

TH 

Shirts  

tn 
0 
O 

8 

8 

8 
1 

€»• 

88 

8 

TH 

8 

r- 

** 

O 

Q 

TH 

« 

00 

TH 

S^ 

a 

^ 

Cost  

COO,<5 

ICTH  (M  t-        ffi(M-<tl 

3 

W-        ,_( 

8 

TH 

Ift" 
M- 

Vests  

o 
fc 

TH            TH                              -H            TH 

3 

sen-sea—  g-g 

g 

Pants  

6 

-H         TH                      TH        TH 

t— 
S3 

TH               rH         TH 

1 

Coats  and  Over- 
coats    . 

6 
5Z5 

23383859-8*8" 

1 

(N         TH         TH               TH         iH 

i 

Nui 
cl 

nber  of  Prisoners  Dis- 
larged  .. 

8g«2ggg£K3£g$ 

8 
t- 

585SS^Sg^§^S§3 

1 

MONTHS. 

1886—  October-  .. 

01 
JS 

o 

X 

a, 
^ 

£ 

a, 
c 

a, 

a 

1887—  January.. 

> 

h 

"3 

0 

• 

>5 

•< 

September  

Totals  second  fiscal  year  

_> 
*—. 

.February  ... 

March  .  . 

£ 

•1 

^ 

c 
•z 

I  t  iiLfr 

-O             00             >H^3^>l>-c 

_4f  1  Iffilii 

(5-^a         o^p^feS< 

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oooo 
oooo 

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S 

0 
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1-5 

72 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


STATEMENT  SHOWING  THE  EXPENSE  OF  DISCHARGING  PRISONERS  —  Continued. 

Average  Cost  per  Con- 
vict per  Day  —  Cents. 

cr 
i—  i 

CO 

•    i 

. 

s 

CO 

Average  Costper  Pris- 
oner Discharged  

•* 

rH 

C-l 

C-l 

*ff 

i 

00 

I 
M- 

; 

Tot 
P« 

al  Discharge  Ex- 
nses  

S 

!OO>OO»HiOt^C 

r—Tfcocoooooc^a 

>S8i3S 

CO  1C  1C  CD 

00 

NP 

$ 
t- 
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as- 

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4(9- 

Dis 

PC 

charge  andTrans- 
rtation  

X 

^  r^  t~  t—  CD  oo 

o 
«o 

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se- 

o  o  o  o  10  10  10  o  10  o  10  10 

St^«  i-H  CO  O  "^t*  CD  Gi  O5  00  CO  CO 
CO  CD  t~~  00  CO  C^-  ^  CO  ^*  CO  O" 
«*                                                                         rH~ 

0 

-* 

$ 

OO 

t-T 
M- 

DISCHARGE  CLOTHING—  Continued. 

Total  

gSS§S8SfiSSgi2 

O<N>Ot~--i'H'-H<Naoao,_i>o 
O.i-Ji»H-»O  COlOt~(NOCOlOCN 

i-Ti-Ti-T                      i-T 

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t^-COt-^i-Ht^-OlOC^^COC^lC 

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i-T       r-T 

«»• 

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3 

00 

t~r 
««• 

Sundry  Sup- 
plies . 

OT 
O 

O 

O             O       <N 

55         •*     10 

i-H                 1O         i-H 

Mr 

O 
00 

<N 

S 

S 

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««• 

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& 

Collars 

1 

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8 

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fff 

9 

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- 

8 

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««- 

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& 

Boots      and 
Shoes  

•w 

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0 
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rH          i-H                 T—  1                 iH  I— 

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* 

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00 

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«%- 

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i-H                      rH 

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2 

2 

Pu 

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CN  O5CC 

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1 

83 

cot--aOTf<Tj<Tt<Tj<oc 
CDCOTfiCNOOCNIMTj 

C^ 

1— 

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t^ 

10 

Hats  

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01 
O 
O 

S 

0 

8    S    §S 

9&       O             CO 

§ 

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88 

8^ 

S 

*<=• 

§ 

8 

ws- 

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00 

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•* 

MONTHS. 

a>  S      >> 

Illili 
||||||, 

CD              t^ 

00           ao 

OO               00 

i—  1                 i-H 

S  > 
1^ 

11 

i 

'5 

H: 

£ 

H^ 

*5 

September  

Totals  second  fiscal  year  

August  
September  

Totals  first  fiscal  year  
1887—  Ontnhpr  . 

i 

~ 

I 

^ 

December  

1888—  Jannarv  - 

February  
March  

—  * 

c  > 

REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  73 

The  prison  and  buildings  are  heated  by  steam.  The  coal  used,  which 
is  soft  coal,  costs  $1  90  per  ton.  Flour  costs  from  $4  25  to  $4  50  per 
barrel;  beef,  4|  cents  per  pound,  dressed,  and  8  cents  for  hind  quarters. 
Butterine,  costing  16  cents  per  pound,  is  used  instead  of  butter. 

The  tobacco  furnished  to  the  prisoners  is  manufactured  at  the  prison. 
Each  prisoner  is  allowed  four  ounces  of  chewing  tobacco  per  week. 
Smoking  is  prohibited  except  three  times  during  the  year,  on  holidays, 
when  they  are  allowed  two  cigars  each,  which  are  worth  about  $18  per 
thousand. 

All  the  convicts  are  treated  alike.  Friends  can  give  them  fruit,  to  be 
eaten  in  their  presence. 

There  are  two  prisons  in  Illinois,  the  other  of  which  is  known  as  the 
Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary.  The  prison  at  Joliet,  which  is  the  gen- 
eral penitentiary  for  the  State,  is  under  the  charge  of  three  Commission- 
ers, appointed  by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  Senate,  and  subject  to  removal  by  the  Governor  at  his  discretion. 
If  removed,  that  fact,  and  the  cause  thereof,  must  be  reported  by  the 
Governor  to  the  next  Legislature.  The  Warden,  Chaplain,  and  Physi- 
cian are  appointed  by  the  Commissioners,  and  hold  their  respective 
offices  for  the  term  of  three  years,  unless  sooner  removed  by  the  Com- 
missioners. The  Commissioners  give  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $25,000  each 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  their  duties,  and  the  Warden  gives  a  like 
bond  in  the  sum  of  $50,000. 

The  Warden  has  power,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Commission- 
ers, or  a  majority  of  them,  to  appoint  a  Deputy  Warden,  Clerk,  and 
Steward,  who,  however,  are  subject  to  removal. by  the  Warden. 

The  Commissioners  prescribe  the  articles  of  food  and  the  quantity  of 
each  kind  which  shall  be  provided  for  the  convicts,  and  determine  the 
number  of  hours  per  day  during  which  the  convicts  shall  be  required  to 
labor. 

The  law  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  to  cause,  at  least  once 
a  year,  a  full  and  accurate  inventory  and  appraisement  of  all  the  ma- 
chinery, fixtures,  goods,  and  property  of  every  description  belonging  to 
the  State  in  and  about  the  penitentiary,  to  be  made  under  oath  by  two 
or  more  competent  appraisers,  to  be  appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the 
Commissioners,  and  to  cause  a  copy  of  such  inventory  and  appraisement 
to  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  and  another 
copy  to  be  appended  to  their  biennial  report  to  the  Governor. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  to  meet  at  the  penitentiary  at 
least  as  often  as  once  in  each  month,  and  as  much  oftener  as  the  proper 
control  and  superintendence  of  the  prison  may  require.  It  is  their  duty 


74  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

also  to  examine  and  inquire  into  all  matters  connected  with  the  govern- 
ment, discipline,  and  police  of  the  penitentiary,  the  punishment  and 
employment  of  the  convicts,  and  also  into  any  improper  conduct  which 
may  be  alleged  to  have  been  committed  by  the  Warden  or  any  other 
officer  or  employe;  and  for  this  purpose  the  Commissioners  have  power 
to  issue  subpoenas,  and  compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses,  and  the  pro- 
duction before  them  of  writings  and  papers,  and  examine  any  witnesses 
on  oath  who  may  appear  before  them. 

The  statutes  governing  the  penitentiary  provide  that  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  Warden  to  reside  in  and  constantly  attend  the  penitentiary, 
except  when  absent  on  some  necessary  duty  connected  with  his  office, 
and  that  in  no  case  shall  the  Warden  and  Deputy  Warden  be  absent  at 
the  same  time. 

The  Warden,  among  other  duties,  is  required  to  examine  daily  into  the 
state  of  the  penitentiary,  and  into  the  health,  condition,  and  safe-keep- 
ing of  the  convicts,  and  to  inquire  into  the  justice  of  any  complaints 
made  by  any  of  the  convicts  relative  to  their  provisions,  clothing,  or 
treatment. 

Among  the  salaries  paid  per  annum  are: 

Commissioners,  each $1 ,500 

Warden 2,500 

Deputy  Warden 1 ,800 

Chaplain 1,500 

Physician 1 ,500 

Meal  tickets  are  sold  to  visitors  if  they  desire  them.  Visitors  are 
allowed  to  visit  the  pri.son  every  day  except  Sundays  and  holidays. 
They  are  taken  in  charge  by  an  usher  at  nine  A.  M.,  eleven  A.  M.,  two 
p.  M.,  and  four  p.  M.  And  if  they  arrive  after  any  one  of  these  hours 
they  are  required  to  wait  until  the  next  specified  hour.  An  admission 
fee  is  charged  to  general  visitors. 

Each  Guard  receives  twelve  meal  tickets  free,  which  he  may  use  as  he 
pleases  during  the  year.  If  he  desires  more  he  is  charged  at  the  rate  of 
25  cents  per  ticket,  and  if  he  does  not  use  all  that  he  is  entitled  to  with- 
out charge,  he  may  surrender  those  remaining  unused  and  receive  25 
cents  for  each. 

This  prison  has  a  well  deserved  reputation  throughout  the  United 
States  for  its  discipline  and  government.  This  is  largely  due  to  its  rules 
and  regulations,  and  their  strict  and  impartial  enforcement.  The  rules 
now  in  force  are  these: 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  75 

The  Warden. 

The  Warden,  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  chief  executive  offi- 
cer of  the  Illinois  State  Penitentiary,  shall  be  guided  by  the  statutes  and 
laws  providing  for  the  management  of  the  penitentiary,  and  by  such 
rules  and  orders  as  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  adopted  and  placed  on 
record  by  the  Board  of  Penitentiary  Commissioners. 

Duties  of  the  Deputy  Warden. 

1 .  The  Deputy  Warden  is  the  assistant  and  agent  of  the  Warden  in 
the  general  government  and  management  of  the  penitentiary,  more  par- 
ticularly in  matters  of  discipline  of  its  officers  and  prisoners. 

2.  He  shall  attend  daily  at  the  prison,  from  the  hour  of  unlocking  in 
the  morning  until  after  the  prisoners  shall  have  been  locked  up  at  night. 

3.  In  the  absence  of  the  Warden  from  the  prison,  the  Deputy  War- 
den shall  perform  his  duties,  and  shall  not  leave  the  prison  until  the 
Warden  returns. 

4.  He  shall  not  be  absent  from  the  prison,  at  any  time  during  the  day, 
when  the  prisoners  are  out  of  their  cells,  without  first  obtaining  leave 
from  the  Warden. 

5.  He  shall  visit  the  prison  occasionally  during  the  night  by  surprise, 
and  personally  ascertain  that  the  prisoners  are  all  secure;  and  that  the 
officers  are  on  duty  and  alert. 

6.  Under  the  orders  of  the  Warden,  he  shall  have  special  control  and 
direction  of  the  Keepers,  Guards,  Foremen,  and  other  servants  of  the 
prison,  and  shall  be  responsible  that  every  one  performs  his  respective 
duties  with  intelligence,  fidelity,  and  zeal.     And  it  shall  be  his  duty  to 
report  to  the  Warden,  strictly  and  promptly,  every  neglect  of  duty  or 
impropriety  or  misconduct  on  the  part  of  any  officer. 

7.  He  shall  report  to  the  Warden  the  name  of  every  officer  coming 
upon  duty  under  the  influence  of  intoxicants  or  without  being  in  uni- 
form. 

8.  He  shall  not  grant  leave  of  absence  to  any  officer  for  a  longer  period 
than  one  day  without  consulting  the  Warden,  except  in  cases  of  emer- 
gency. 

9.  He  shall  enforce  obedience  to  the  prison  rules  and  regulations,  and 
to  all  orders  given  from  time  to  time  by  the  Warden,  and  shall  maintain 
generally  the  police  and  discipline  of  the  prison  with  the  strictest  exact- 
ness, for  which  purpose  he  shall  frequently,  during  the  day,  but  at  irreg- 
ular periods  and  without  notice,  visit  the  shops,  yards,  hospital,  kitchen, 
cells,  and  other  apartments  of  the  prison,  and  the  different  places  where 
work  is  in  hand,  taking  every  precaution  for  the  security  of  the  prison 
and  prisoners,  seeing  that  the  officers  are  vigilant  and  attentive  to  their 
duties,  and  that  they  keep  the  prisoners  under  them  diligently  employed 
during  their  hours  of  labor. 

10.  He  shall  not  permit  any  book,  pamphlet,  or  newspaper  to  be  read 
by  any  officer,  nor  to  be  in  his  possession,  while  on  duty  in  or  about  the 
prison. 

11.  When  a  prisoner  is  received,  the  Deputy  Warden  shall  see  that 
he  is  properly  bathed,  clothed  in  a  prison  suit,  and  duly  inspected  by 
the  prison  Physician,  and  vaccinated.     He  shall  then  read  and  explain 
to  him  the  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  prisoners,  give 


76  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

him  his  privilege  tickets,  and  assign  him  to  duty  under  direction  of  the 
Warden. 

12.  He  shall  at  short  intervals  examine  the  locks,  levers,  and  gratings 
in  and  about  the  entire  prison,  and  see  that  they  are  in  good  condition. 

13.  He  shall  exercise  due  vigilance,  to  see  that  there  is  no  embezzle- 
ment of  the  property  of  the  penitentiary;  that  not  only  no  willful  waste, 
but  also  no  want  of  economy  in  the  necessary  consumption  or  the  use 
of  supplies  takes  place,  without  making  such  known  to  the  Warden 
immediately. 

14.  He  shall  consider  it  his  duty  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the 
social  habits  and  conduct  of  every  subordinate  officer  and  employe  of 
the  prison,  and  particularly  whether,  when  off  duty,  he  is  a  frequenter  of 
saloons  or  other  houses  of  similar  resort,  or  associates  with  idle  or  loose 
characters,  and  report  the  facts  to  the  Warden. 

15.  He  shall  see  that  no  material  is  allowed  to  be  placed  near  the 
inclosing  walls,  and  that  nothing  is  accessible  to  prisoners  which  can 
facilitate  escape.      He  shall  especially  see  that  ladders  are  properly 
secured. 

16.  He  shall  have  a  vigilant  eye  over  every  person  who  may  have 
business  about  the  prison,  to  see  that  nothing  is  carried  in  or  out  for  a 
prisoner;  and,  so  far  as  he  can,  that  no  communication  of  any  descrip- 
tion is  attempted  by  such  person  with  any  prisoner,  except  by  authority, 
and  in  the  presence  of  an  officer. 

17.  He  shall,  every  evening,  before  relieving  the  Guards  and  Keepers 
from  duty,  verify  by  actual  count  the  written  daily  count  report  fur- 
nished him  from  the  office. 

18.  As  the  Penitentiary  Act  of  1872  affords  to  prisoners  the  privilege 
of  earning  diminution  of  their  sentence,  it  will  be  incumbent  upon  all 
the  officers  of  the  prison  to  give  the  strictest  attention  to  the  conduct 
and  character  of  every  prisoner;  and  especially  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  Deputy  Warden  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  behavior  of  every  pris- 
oner, his  industry,  alacrity,  and  zeal  in  the  execution  of  his  work,  so 
that  the  Deputy  may  be  able  to  advise  with  the  Warden,  as  to  the  dim- 
inution of  sentence  to  be  made  to  each  convict.     And  for  this  purpose 
he  shall  communicate  freely  with  every  officer  in  charge  of  a  gang,  when 
making  his  rounds. 

19.  The  Deputy  Warden  shall,  under  orders  of  the  Warden,  investi- 
gate all  reports  of  offenses  committed  by  prisoners,  and  make  disposition 
of  the  same.    In  these  investigations  the  Deputy  Warden  shall  be  careful 
in  endeavoring  to  arrive  at  the  truth  concerning  each  case;  in  awarding 
punishment  he  shall  take  into  consideration  the  age,  previous  conduct, 
habits,  and  disposition  of  the  offender,  so  far  as  he  may  be  able  to  ascer- 
tain the  same,  and  in  the  administration  of  punishment  he  shall  take 
special  care  to  deprive  it  of  all  appearance  of  personal  vindictiveness, 
even  under  great  provocation,  at  the  same  time  making  it  sufficiently 
severe,  without  cruelty,  to  secure  the  end  desired.     He  shall  make  daily 
written  report  to  the  Warden  of  all  prisoners  reported  to  him,  the  nature 
of  their  offense,  and  of  all  punishments  awarded  or  administered. 

20.  The  only  disciplinary  punishments  of  prisoners  allowed  to  be 
administered  in  this  prison  are: 

1.  Taking  from  prisoners  one  or  all  of  their  privilege  tickets. 

2.  Solitary  confinement  on  short  rations  of  bread  and  water. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  ,  , 

3.  Handcuffing  prisoner  to  the  grated  cell  door  at  the  height  of  his 
breast. 

Corporal  punishments  of  any  kind  are  prohibited  by  the  statute. 

Duties  of  Assistant  Deputy  Warden. 

1 .  The  Assistant  Deputy  Warden  shall  attend  daily  at  the  prison  from 
the  hour  of  unlocking  in  the  morning  until  after  the  prisoners  have 
been  locked  up  at  night. 

2.  He  shall  assist  the  Deputy  Warden  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
whenever  called  on  by  him;  and  in  the  absence  of  the  Deputy  Warden 
from  the  prison,  he  shall  perform  all  the  duties  incumbent  upon  that 
officer. 

3.  He  shall  assist  the  Deputy  Warden  in  maintaining  and  executing 
the  rules  of  government  of  the  prison,  and  report  to  him  any  violation 
of  the  same  by  either  the  officers  or  the  prisoners  that  may  come  under 
his  notice. 

4.  He  shall  keep,  mornings  and  evenings,  the  time  of  officers  on  duty 
during  the  day,  and  report  the  same  to  the  Clerk  on  the  first  of  each 
month. 

5.  He  shall  attend  the  daily  sick  call,  accompanying  prisoners  who 
are  to  see  the  Physician,  from  the  different  workshops  to  the  hospital, 
and  ordering  them  to  sick  cell  or  on  duty,  as  the  Physician  may  direct. 

6.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  prison  armory,  assigning  Guards  and 
Keepers  their  arms  and  accouterments,  and  seeing  that  everything  belong- 
ing to  the  armory,  including  the  special  supply  of  lanterns,  is  in  good 
condition  and  serviceable  at  a  moment's  notice. 

7.  He  shall  inspect  the  arms  and  equipments  of  the  Guards  at  least 
once  a  week,  and  report  any  officer  whose  rifle  or  equipments  are  not  in 
good  order.     He  shall  frequently  inspect  all  the  arms  and  equipments 
not  in  daily  use  and  see  that  they  are  kept  in  thorough  repair. 

Duties  of  Chaplain. 

1 .  He  shall  conduct  religious  services  in  the  penitentiary  under  such 
regulations  as  the  Commissioners  may  prescribe,  and  attend  to  the 
spiritual  wants  of  the  prisoners. 

2.  He  shall  obtain  from  each  prisoner,  when  received  in  the  peniten- 
tiary, as  complete  a  statement  as  possible,  of  his  religious  and  educa- 
tional antecedents,  and  his  parental  and  conjugal  relations,  and  shall 
make  report  thereof,  on  blanks  furnished,  to  the  Warden. 

8.  He  shall  visit  the  prisoners  in  their  cells,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
them  moral  and  religious  instruction. 

4.  He  shall  furnish,  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  a  Bible  to  each  pris- 
oner. 

5.  He  shall   not   have  any  intercourse  with  prisoners  in  the  shops 
or  while  they  are  at  work,  nor  shall  he  hold  communication  with  them, 
except  as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  in  imparting  to  them  such  secu- 
lar and  religious  instruction  as  is  required  by  law  and  the  prison  regu- 
lations. 

6.  He  shall  not  furnish  the  prisoners  with  any  information  or  intelli- 
gence in  relation  to  outside  matters,  except  by  permission  of  the  Warden. 

7.  He  shall  visit  daily  the  sick  in  the  hospital  and  administer  to  their 
spiritual  wants. 


78  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

8.  He  shall,  once  a  week,  read  to  prisoners  that  have  arrived  during 
the  preceding  seven  days,  the  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government 
of  prisoners,  impressing  upon  them  the  necessity  of  their  strict  observ- 
ance of  the  same,  and  the  benefits  they  may  derive  thereby  under  the 
good  time  law. 

9.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  library,  so  far  as  to  see  that  no  im- 
proper books  are  placed  in  possession  of  the  prisoners,  and  if  such  books 
are  found,  either  in  the  cells,  or  in  possession  of  prisoners,  he  shall  take 
away  and  deliver  the  same  to  the  Warden;  and  for  the  purpose  of  the 
proper  discharge  of  these  duties,  he  shall  visit  the  cells  in  the  penitentiary, 
and  the  books  so  taken  away  from  prisoners  shall  not  be  returned  to 
them  without  the  express  order  of  the  Commissioners. 

10.  Sectarian  doctrines  in  the  matter  of  religious  belief  shall  not  be 
taught,  nor  shall  any  attempt  be  made,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  prose- 
lyte a  prisoner.     If  any  prisoner  desires  communication  with  a  minister 
or  instructor  of  his  particular  faith,  on  proper  application  to  the  War- 
den it  shall  be  allowed,  under  and  in  conformity  with  the  law  and  the 
general  regulations  of  the  prison;  but  such  minister  or  instructor,  on 
such  occasions,  must  in  all  things  conform  to  the  rules  and  regulations 
for  the  government  of  the  Chaplain;  any  infringement  or  departure  from 
which  Avill  debar  him  from  future  intercourse  with  the  prisoners. 

11.  He  shall  make  an  annual  report  to  the  Commissioners  for  each 
year  ending  the  first  day  of  October,  relative  to  the  religious  and  moral 
conduct  of  the  prisoners  during  such  year;  stating  therein  what  services 
he  has  performed,  and  the  fruits  of  his  instruction,  together  with  any 
other  facts  relative  to  said  prisoners  he  may  deem  proper  to  report. 

12.  The  Chaplain  shall,  when  required  by  the  Commissioners,  give 
instruction  in  the  useful  branches  of  an  English  education  to  such  pris- 
oners as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Warden,  may  require  the  same  and  be 
benefited  thereby,  and  be  entitled  thereto   by  previous  good  conduct; 
and  such  instruction  may  be  given  for  such  length  of  time  daily  as  said 
Commissioners  shall  prescribe  (Sunday  excepted),  between  the  hours  of 
six  and  nine  p.  M. 

13.  He  shall  make  a  quarterly  report  to  the  Commissioners  in  case 
such  instruction  shall  be  given,  stating  the  number  of  prisoners  instructed 
during  the  quarter,  the  branches  of  education   taught,  the  text-books 
used,  the  progress  made  by  the  convicts,  and  note  especially  any  case  in 
which  unusual  progress  has  been  made  by  a  prisoner. 

Duties  of  the  Physician. 

1.  He  shall  attend  at  all  times  to  the  wants  of  the  sick  prisoners, 
whether  in  the  hospital  or  in  their  cells,  and  shall  render  them  all 
necessary, medical  service. 

2.  He  shall  examine  weekly  the  cells  of  the  prisoners,  for  the  purpose  • 
of  ascertaining  whether  they  are  kept  in  a  proper  state  of  cleanliness 
and  ventilation,  and  report  the  same  weekly  to  the  Warden. 

3.  He  shall  examine,  at  least  once  a  week,  and  oftener  if  he  thinks 
proper,  into  the  quality  and  condition  of  the  provisions  provided  for  the 
prisoners;  and  whenever  he  shall  have  reason  to  believe  that  any  pro- 
visions are  prejudicial  to  the  health  of  the  prisoners,  he  shall  imme- 
diately make  report  thereof  to  the  Warden.     He  shall  also  have  power, 
and  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  prescribe  the  diet  of  the  sick  prisoners,  and 


REFOKMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  79 

his  directions  in  relation  thereto  shall  be  followed  by  the  Warden  and 
Steward. 

4.  He  shall  vaccinate  every  prisoner  on  his  entering  the  prison,  and 
examine  him  as  to  the  condition  of  his  heart,  lungs,  and  chest,  evidence 
of  previous  or  present  hereditary  disease,  and  keep  a  record  of  such 
examination  in  a  book  provided  for  that  purpose. 

5.  He  shall  visit  the  prison  every  day  between  the  hours  of  seven  and 
ten  in  the  morning.     When  the  state  of  a  sick  prisoner  requires  it,  he 
shall  visit  at  such  hours  as  he  may  think  the  case  demands,  and  if  sent 
for  at  any  time  by  the  Warden  or  Deputy  Warden,  he  shall  immediately 
repair  to  the  prison  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  engagements. 

6.  He  shall  keep  a  daily  record  of  all  admissions  to  the  hospital,  and 
the  cases  treated  in  the  cells  or  elsewhere,  indicating  the  sex,  color, 
nativity,  age,  occupation,  habits  of  life,  period  of  entrance  and  discharge 
from  the  hospital,  disease,  and  the  prescription  and  treatment  in  each 
case. 

7.  He  shall  have  full  control  over  the  patients  in  hospital,  subject  to 
the  rules  of  the  prison  and  instructions  of  the  Commissioners,  and  shall 
leave  his  daily  general  instructions  as  to  the  government,  etc.,  of  the 
patients  with  the  Hospital  Steward. 

8.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Physician,  in  case  of  any  prisoner  claim- 
ing to  be  unable  to  labor  by  reason  of  sickness,  to  examine  such  prisoner; 
and  if,  in  his  opinion,  upon  examination,  said  prisoner  is  unable  to  labor, 
he  shall  immediately  certify  the  same  to  the  Warden,  and  such  prisoner 
shall  thereupon  be  released  from  labor  and  admitted  to  the  hospital,  or 
placed  in  his  cell,  or  elsewhere,  for  medical  treatment,  as  said  Physician 
shall  direct,  having  a  due  regard  for  the  safe-keeping  of  such  prisoner, 
and  such  prisoner  shall  not  be  required  to  labor  so  long  as  in  the  opin- 
ion of  said  Physician  such  disability  shall  continue;  and  whenever  said 
Physician  shall  certify  to  the  Warden  that  such  prisoner  is  sufficiently 
recovered  to  be  able  to  labor,  said  prisoner  shall  be  required  to  labor, 
and  not  before.     He  shall  also  direct  the  transfer,  permanent  or  tem- 
porary, of  prisoners  from  first  to  second  class  work,  and  report  such 
transfer  to  the  Warden. 

9.  He  shall  examine  carefully  every  morning  all  prisoners  in  punish- 
ment in  the  solitary  cells,  and  shall  make  written  report  to  the  Warden 
of  their  condition.     He  shall  be  particular  to  report  to  the  Warden  in 
writing  any  prisoner  whose  health  he  thinks  is  suffering  or  endangered 
by  the  punishment  he  is  undergoing,  and  shall  recommend  such  changes 
in  the  diet  of  prisoners  in  punishment  as  he  may  think  necessary.     He 
shall  require  the  Hospital  Steward  to  make  a  similar  examination  every 
evening,  between  the  hours  of  four  and  five  o'clock,  and  make  a  written 
report  of  the  same. 

10.  He  shall,  whenever  in  his  opinion  a  prisoner  becomes  insane,  cer- 
tify that  fact  to  the  Warden,  giving  his  reasons  therefor,  and  make,  on 
blanks  furnished  him  for  that  purpose,  a  brief  statement  of  the  general 
condition  of  the  patient,  together  with  his  recommendation  as  to  what 
disposition  shall  be  made  of  him. 

11.  When  a  prisoner  dies,  the  Physician  shall  record  the  nature  of  the 
complaint  and  all  the  circumstances  connected  therewith  that  he  may 
deem  proper  and  necessary,  and  report  to  the  Warden. 

12.  When  the  Physician  considers  it  necessary,  or  when  required  by 
the  Commissioners  or  Warden,  to  make  a  post  mortem  examination  of 


80  REFOEMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

any  prisoner,  he  shall  do  so  within  thirty-six  hours  after  the  decease. 
He  shall  make  written  reports  of  his  examination  to  the  Warden,  and 
of  his  conclusion  as  to  the  cause  of  death. 

13.  He  shall  keep  such  books  and  in  such  forms  as  from  time  to  time 
may  be  indicated  to  him  according  to  schedules  ordered  by  the  Com- 
missioners; all  of  such  books  shall  be  open  at  all  times  to  the  Warden. 

14.  He  shall  make  a  written  report  daily  to  the  Warden  of  the  attend- 
ance at  sick  call  in  the  morning,  and  of  the  disposition  made  of  those 
reported  sick,  also  of  all  admissions  to  and  discharges  from  hospital, 
deaths,  etc. 

15.  He  shall,  whenever  requested  so  to  do  by  the  Commissioners  or 
Warden,  make  a  careful  examination  of  any  prisoner,  and  make  written 
report  of  his  physical  condition. 

16.  He  shall  make  report  monthly  to  the  Commissioners,  of  patients 
received  into  the  hospital,  or  treated  in  the  cells  or  elsewhere  during  the 
preceding  month,  stating  their  respective  age,  color,  disease,  occupation 
in  prison,  quantity  and  kinds  of  medicine  administered  during  the 
month,  the  time  they  have  remained  in  hospital,  date  of  commencement 
and  termination  of  treatment,  and  number  of  days  during  which  such 
patients,  in  consequence  of  sickness,  have  been  relieved  from  labor; 
also  of  all  deaths  and  cause  thereof,  transfers  to  insane  hospitals,  etc. 

17.  He  shall  make  a  yearly  report  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  sani- 
tary condition  of  the  penitentiary  for  the  past  year,  in  which  all  infor- 
mation in  his  daily  and  monthly  reports  shall  be  condensed.     This 
report  shall  also  contain  nominal  lists  of  prisoners  who  have  died  or 
been  certified  to  be  insane  during  the  year. 

Duties  of  Hospital  Steward. 

1 .  The  Hospital  Steward  shall  be  the  assistant  to  and  shall  act  under 
the  immediate  directions  of  the  Physician  about  the  hospital,  and  in 
his  absence  shall  perform  the  duties  of  his  office. 

2.  He  shall  be  responsible  for  the  nurses,  orderlies,  and  other  servants, 
employed  about  the  hospital,  and  shall  see  that  good  discipline  in  the 
hospital  is  at  all  times  maintained. 

3.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  dispensary  and  the  hospital,  for  the 
good  order  and  cleanliness  of  which,  and  of  all  its  approaches  and  sur- 
roundings, he  shall  be  responsible. 

4.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  sick  in  the  hospital,  and  of  the  con- 
valescent prisoners,  so  long  as  they  are  receiving  advice  from  the  Phy- 
sician, and  shall  strictly  attend  to  all  instructions  that  may  be  given 
him  as  to  their  medicine,  diet,  and  treatment. 

5.  He  shall  also  attend  to  the  complaining  prisoners  not  in  hospital, 
to  whom  medicine  is  administered. 

6.  He  shall  see  that  every  chamber  in  the  hospital  is  well  ventilated, 
the  bedding  and  clothing  cleansed  and  changed  when  necessary,  the 
ceilings,  walls,  and  floors  cleaned  and  purified  by  frequent  scrubbing 
and  whitewashing,  and  that  all  impurities  of  every  description  are 
instantly  removed. 

7.  He  shall  attend  the  Physician  in  his  visits  to  the  sick,  make  up  alt 
the  prescriptions,  compound  all  the  medicines,  and  see  that  they  are 
administered  in  the  form  and  at  the  times  ordered  by  the  Physician. 

8.  Should  the  symptoms  of  any  patient  appear  to  him  to  become 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  81 

aggravated,  he  shall  at  once  report  to  the  Warden,  in  order  that,  if 
necessary,  the  Physician  may  be  sent  for,  without  loss  of  time. 

9.  Should  he  observe  the  death  of  a  prisoner  approaching  he  shall  at 
once  notify  the  Warden  or  Deputy,  in  order  that  information  may  be 
sent  to  the  Chaplain. 

10.  It  shall  be  his  duty  to  make  a  tour  of  the  wards  of  the  hospital 
frequently  during  the  day,  and  especially  he  shall  do  so,  as  his  first 
duty  in  the  morning  and  the  last  duty  at  night. 

11.  He  shall  see  that  the  bedclothes  of  patients,  who  are  able  to  leave 
their  beds,  are  well  ventilated,  while  they  are  out  of  bed. 

12.  When  a  prisoner  is  received  sick,  from  the  cell-house  during  the 
night,  the  Hospital  Steward  shall  immediately  notify  the  Warden,  if 
the  case  seems  to  him  to  be  urgent. 

13.  He  shall  issue  no  alcoholic  or  intoxicating  liquors  to  any  employe 
or  prisoner  under  any  circumstances,  except  upon  the  written  order  of 
the  Warden,  or  the  written  prescription  of  the  Physician. 

Duties  of  the  Clerk. 

1.  He  shall  be  the  Warden's  accountant  and  his  assistant  and  agent 
in  matters  of  the  records  and  fiscal  affairs  of  the  penitentiary,  and  shall 
as  such  have  charge,  under  the  supervision  and  immediate  direction  of 
the  Warden,  of  the  following  books  and  records. 

Records: 

1.  The  Commissioners'  Journal  of  Proceedings. 

2.  The  Warden's  Record  of  Official  Orders. 

3.  The  Convict  Register  and  complete  index  thereto. 

4.  The  Discharge  Register  and  Records. 

5.  The  Record  of  Statistics. 

6.  Punishment  Record. 

7.  Book  of  Daily  Counts. 
Account  Books: 

1.  The  Store,  double-entry  Journal  and  Ledger  and  auxiliary  books, 
accounting  for  the  receipts  and  issues  of  supplies.     (See  Storekeeper.) 

2.  The  State  Shops'  Day  Book,  accounting  for  all  transactions  of 
the  State  Shops,  in  the  way  of  permanent  improvements,  repairs,  fur- 
nishing of  implements,  fuel,  etc.     (See  Supt.  State  Shops.) 

3.  The  Convict  Money  Journal  and  Ledger,  accounting,  individ- 
ually, for  moneys  deposited  by  and  paid  to  prisoners. 

4.  The  Consolidated  Check  Roll,  an  abstract  from  all  the  Time 
Check  Rolls  of  the  prison,  which — in  their  aggregate — are  daily  to 
correspond  with  the  evening's  count. 

5.  The  Cash  Book,  with  triplicate  vouchers  for  all  expenditures, 
and  as  complete  a  system  of  vouchers  for  receipts  (by  stubs,  tickets, 
etc.)  as  practicable. 

These  books  may  be  consolidated  and  abstracted  monthly,  in: 

6.  The  General  Journal;  and, 

7.  The  General  Ledger. 

2.  He  shall  be  responsible  for  the  safe-keeping  and  orderly  arrange- 
ment of  all  the  accounts,  vouchers,  bills,  mittimuses,  and  other  docu- 
ments of  every  kind  confided  to  him. 

3.  He  shall  make  out  all  financial  and  other  statements  and  exhibits 
of  any  kind  at  such  times  as  the  Warden  may  direct. 

GD 


82  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

4.  He  shall  assist  the  Warden  in  making  the  annual  and  biennial 
statements  and  exhibits  (financial  and  statistical)  as  are  by  law,  and 
under  the  directions  of  the  Commissioners,  required  of  the  Warden. 

5.  He  shall  collect  from  employes  and  outsiders,  all  the  bills  made 
against  them  by  the  Store,  State  Shops,  Clothing  Department,  or  other 
departments  of  the  prison,  give  receipt  for  same,  and  report  the  col- 
lections to  the  Storekeeper  or  the  Superintendents  of  the    respective 
departments  on  the  regular  stub  blanks  provided  for  that  purpose. 

6.  He  shall  give  individual  receipts  to  all  prisoners  from  or  for  whom 
he  has  received  money  or  other  articles  of  value. 

7.  All  vouchers  for  payment  of  supplies  must  be  made  from  original 
bills  of  particulars  approved  by  the  Steward  and  must  pass  through 
Store  books.     All  vouchers  for  payrolls  and  other  expenses  must  be 
authorized  and  approved  by  the  Warden. 

8.  He  shall,  at  the  end  of  every  month,  make  from  the  Discharge  Reg- 
ister a  complete  list  of  all  prisoners  to  be  released  during  the  succeeding 
month  by  expiration  of  sentence,  and  furnish  a  copy  of  this  list  to  all 
officers  of  the  penitentiary  whose  business  it  is  to  be  acquainted  with  it. 

9.  He  shall,  on  the  first  of  every  month,  make  a  statement  to  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  giving  a  nominal  list  of  all  prisoners  received  during 
the  preceding  month,  the  counties  they  come  from,  and  their  crimes  and 
sentences,  and  also  a  list  of  all  prisoners  discharged,  pardoned,  and 
otherwise  released  during  the  same  period. 

Duties  of  the  Assistant  Clerk. 

1.  He  shall  assist  the  Clerk  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  and  in 
his  absence  shall  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  or  any  other  clerical 
work  required  of  him  by  the  Warden. 

2.  He  shall  be  a  telegraphist  and  have  charge  of  the  prison  telegraph 
and  electric  apparatus. 

3.  He  shall  take,  or  have  taken,  the  photograph  of  every  incoming 
male  prisoner  as  soon  as  practicable  after  his  arrival,  preserve  and  take 
care  of  the  negatives,  and  keep  the  respective  photographs  in  orderly 
arrangement  in  a  case  provided  for  that  purpose. 

Duties  of  the  Steward. 

1.  The  Steward  shall  be  the  Warden's  agent  and  assistant  in  making 
purchases  of  goods  and  merchandise  used  for  the  penitentiary,  and  gen- 
erally supervising  the  property  of  the  State,  and  shall,  subject  to  the 
decision  of  the  Warden,  and  under  his  direction,  be  the  judge  of  the 
needs  and  requirements  of  the  prison  in  the  matter  of  supplies. 

2.  He  shall  have  particular  charge  of  the  supply  department  of  the 
penitentiary,  of  the  kitchen,  the  cellars,  and  the  other  chambers  where 
provisions  are  kept,  and  all  the  passages  leading  thereto. 

3.  He  shall  receive  all  the  provisions  directly  from  the  party  supply- 
ing the  same,  as  well  as  all  fuel  and  forage,  and  shall  cause  every  article 
to  be  weighed  or  measured  as  the  case  may  be.     Immediately  on  receipt 
of  goods  he  shall  have  them  turned  over  to  the  store. 

4.  He  shall  not  receive  any  article  of  supplies  without  a  bill  of  partic- 
ulars along  with  it,  nor  until  after  he  has  carefully  examined  the  article, 
and  ascertained  that  it  is  of  good  quality,  and  strictly  according  to  the 
specifications  of  contract.     Should  the  bill  be  correct,  he  shall  certify 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  83 

the  same  and  transmit  it  to  the  Storekeeper  without  delay;  if  not,  he 
shall  report  the  facts  to  the  Warden. 

5.  He  shall  not  sell  or  permit  tHe  Storekeeper  to  sell  any  goods  or 
property  of  the  State,  with  the  following  exceptions: 

Contractors  are  allowed  to  purchase  such  articles  as  they  may  require 
for  shop  use  only.  Employes  may  purchase,  through  the  store,  uniforms, 
hats,  caps,  cloth,  and  buttons.  Rags,  hides,  tallow,  lard,  and  bones  may 
be  sold,  through  the  store,  at  market  prices,  to  outsiders. 

6.  He  shall  see  that  all  provisions  of  every  kind  received  by  him  are, 
until  used,  kept  in  a  proper  place,  and  in  proper  vessels,  to  prevent 
their  becoming  injured.     He  shall  take  care  that  no  provisions  which 
have  become  unserviceable  are  cooked,  and  that  everything  unsound  is 
taken  away. 

7.  Should  provisions  be  delivered  by  a  contractor,  which  are  found  by 
rigid  examination  to  be  not  according  to  contract,  he  shall  refuse  to 
receive  them,  and  shall  at  once  report  the  fact  to  the  Warden,  so  that 
no  delay  may  take  place  in  obtaining  a  supply  from  elsewhere,  if  the 
contractor  should  be  unable,  or  unwilling,  to  replace  immediately  what 
has  been  rejected. 

8.  He  shall  take  special  care  that  the  utmost  cleanliness  prevails  in 
the  kitchen,  the  cellars,  and  in  every  chamber  or  vessel  in  which  pro- 
visions are  kept,  or  from  which  they  are  eaten. 

9.  He  shall  daily  attend  upon  and  see  to  the  cooking  and  serving  of 
the  provisions  for  the  prisoners,  to  the  end  that  no  improper  food  is  used, 
that  it  is  cooked  in  a  proper  and  cleanly  manner,  served  in  clean,  whole- 
some vessels,  and  equally  and  honestly  distributed  to  the  prisoners. 

10.  He  shall  report  to  the  Warden  from  time  to  time  the  condition  of 
the  supplies  and  the  necessities  of  immediate  purchase  thereof,  and  it 
shall  be  his  duty,  under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioners  and  the 
Warden,  to  purchase  such  supplies;  and  at  all  times,  when  such  pur- 
chases are  made,  to  furnish  the  Warden  proper  certified  bills  for  the 
same. 

11.  He  shall  have  special  charge  of  the  farm,  and  the  stock  thereon, 
and  see  that  everything  connected  with  that  department  is  managed  to 
the  best  interest  of  the  State. 

Duties  of  Storekeeper. 

1.  He  shall  be  the  custodian  and  keeper  of  all  supplies  purchased  for 
the  use  of  the  penitentiary  by  the  Warden  or  his  agent,  the  Steward. 

2.  He  shall  personally  receive  check  from  bills  of  particulars,  and 
inspect  all  goods  delivered  to  him,  and  report  deficiencies  in  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  same  to  the  Steward  and  also  to  the  Warden,  who 
will  decide  as  to  their  receipt  or  rejection.     He  will  have  charge  of  issu- 
ing supplies  to  the  different  departments  on  requisitions  approved  by 
the  Steward,  and  shall  not  issue  anything  without  having  such  requisi- 
tion therefor,  or  without  making  a  memorandum  bill  on  manifold  bill 
book. 

3.  He  shall,  under  direction  and  supervision  of  the  Clerk  of  the  peni- 
tentiary, keep  accurate  double-entry  accounts  of  all  transactions  in  the 
store,  of  receipts  and  issues  or  sales,  and  shall,  at  the  end  of  each  month, 
or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable,  furnish  a  trial  balance  to  the  Clerk, 
together  with  bills  of  items  against  contractors  and  such  other  parties 


84  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

as  may  be  permitted  to  purchase  supplies  from  the  store.     (See  duties 
of  Steward.) 

4.  He  shall,  every  three  months,  lake  inventory  of  all  property  in  the 
store,  and  give  a  transcript  of  the  same  to  the  Clerk. 

5.  He  shall,  from  the  bill  book,  make  individual  bills  for  all  the  sales 
from  the  store  to  citizens  (not  contractors),  and  balance  them,  on  stub, 
upon  receipt  of  cash  delivery  tickets  from  office.     These  individual  bills 
shall  also  be  entered  on  his  ledger. 

Duties  of  the  Warden-House  Stewards. 

1.  The  Steward  of  the  Warden  House  Proper  has  charge  of  and  is 
responsible  for  the  good  condition  of  the  main,  second,  and  third  floors 
of  the  house,  and  all  property  therein.     The  house  servants  are  accounta- 
ble to  him,  and  it  is  his  duty  to  know  that  the  rooms  are  in  order  at  all 
times.     He  has  charge  of  all  rooms  and  will  make  daily  (and  oftener 
when  necessary)  inspection  of  apartments,  generally  supervising  and 
directing  the  work  of  his  men. 

2.  He  shall  use  his  best  endeavors  to  maintain  strict  discipline  among 
the  men  under  his  charge,  and  be   particularly  watchful  to  prevent 
escapes. 

3.  He  shall  see  that  all  supplies  furnished  him  on  his  daily  requisi- 
tions are  economically  and  properly  used. 

4.  He  shall  assign  rooms  and  beds  for  employes  in  such  manner  as  to 
accommodate  the  greatest  number. 

5.  He  shall  make  written  lists  of  clothes  he  sends  to  the  female  prison 
to  be  washed,  and  check  them  on  their  return. 

6.  He  shall,  on  the  first  of  every  month,  make  a  detailed  report  to 
the  Steward  of  the  Penitentiary,  giving  the  aggregate  cost  of  subsistence 
in  his  department  and  the  average  cost  of  each  meal  served. 

7.  The  Steward  of  the  Warden  House  Basement  has  charge  of  the 
basement  floor  of  the  house  and  its  contents,  receiving  his  instructions 
from  the  Steward  of  the  Penitentiary. 

8.  He  is  responsible  for  the  conduct  and  good  discipline  of  the  pris- 
oners in  his  department,  and  Keepers  and  Guards  are  prohibited  from 
interfering  unless  called  upon;  also  from  conversing  with  prisoners  in 
basement  about  anything  not  strictly  pertaining  to  their  duties. 

9.  He  has  charge  of  and  is  accountable  for  all  State  property  in  his 
department,  and  shall  use  strict  economy  in  the  use  of  supplies  of  every 
kind  furnished  him  on  his  requisitions. 

10.  He  shall  allow  no  person,  not  an  officer  of  the  penitentiary,  unless 
authorized  by  the  Warden,  to  take  a  meal  in  his  department  without  a 
ticket  procured  at  the  Clerk's  office. 

11.  He  shall  check  the  Clerk's  office  on  every  meal  ticket  sold  or 
otherwise  issued  from  there. 

12.  He  shall  exact  and  enforce  strict  compliance  with  all  regulations 
of  common  decency  in  public  eating  houses. 

13.  He  shall,  on  the  first  of  every  month,  make  a  detailed  report 
to  the  Steward  of  the  Penitentiary,  giving  the  aggregate  cost  of  subsist- 
ence in  his  department  and  the  average  cost  of  each  meal  served,  giving 
credit  to  the  department  for  every  commutation  or  single  meal  ticket 
known  to  him  as  having  been  sold  by  the  Clerk. 

14.  The  barber  shop  and  bath-rooms  are  for  the  convenience  of  the 


REFORMATOEY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  85 

employes,  and  may  be  used  by  any  one  connected  with  the  institution, 
under  such  restrictions  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  provided. 

Duties  of  Convict  Kitchen  Steward. 

1.  He  shall,  under  immediate  direction  of  the  Steward  of  the  Peni- 
tentiary, have  charge  of  the  convict  kitchen  and  bakery,  also  the  flour- 
room,  vegetable-rooms,  and  cellars  belonging  thereto,  and  of  all  State 
property  in  that  department,  and  shall  direct  and  supervise  the  labor  of 
prisoners  assigned  to  him,  and  maintain  strict  discipline  among  them. 

2.  He  shall  make  his  written  bill  of  fare  and  requisition  on  the  store 
once  a  week  for  supplies  for  his  department  during  the  entire  succeeding 
week;  and  he  shall  personally  inspect  all  supplies  before  cooking  them, 
and  refuse  all  such  as  may  not  come  up  to  the  requirement  of  being 
absolutely  wholesome.     He  will  be  held  responsible  for  cooking  any 
article  of  food  that  is  not  in  good  and  wholesome  condition. 

3.  He  shall  take  special  care  that  the  utmost  cleanliness  prevails  in 
the  kitchen,  bakery,  and  appurtenances,  and  in  every  vessel  in  which 
provisions  are  kept  or  from  which  they  are  eaten. 

4.  He  shall  see  that  provisions  are  properly  cooked  and  seasoned,  and 
that  the  meals  can  be  served  warm,  in  sufficient  quantity,  and  at  the 
proper  time. 

5.  He  shall  admit  to  the  kitchen  dining-rooms  such  prisoners  only  as 
have  special  permits  to  that  effect  from  the  Warden  or  Deputy. 

6.  He  shall,  on  the  first  of  every  month,  make  to  the  Steward  of  the 
Penitentiary  a  detailed  statement  of  all  supplies  of  subsistence  con- 
sumed in  his  department  during  the  preceding  month,  the  aggregate 
cost  of  such  supplies,  and  the  average  cost  of  subsistence  per  man  per 
day. 

Duties  of  the  Chief  Engineer  and  Superintendent  of  State  Shops. 

1.  He  shall  have  charge  of  all  property,  machinery,  tools,  implements, 
and  merchandise  in  the  different  departments  of  the  State  shops,  of  all 
boilers  and  engines  belonging  to  the  State,  and  of  machinery  and  fixtures 
employed  for  the  service  of  the  State,  as  appearing  from  the  annual 
inventory  of  machinery  and  fixtures. 

2.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  water  supply  system  for  the  prison, 
shall  be  responsible  for  the  condition  of  the  necessary  pipes,  pumps, 
and  other  appliances,  and  for  any  unnecessary  waste  of  water. 

3.  He  shall  have  supervision  of  the  entire  steam  apparatus  for  the 
heating,  cooking,  ventilating,  and  mechanical  purposes  of  the  prison, 
and  shall  see  that  the  same  is  kept  in  good  condition. 

4.  He  shall  have  supervision  of  the  sewer  system  of  the  prison,  and 
direct  the  construction  and  repairs  of  the  same. 

5.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  gas  works,  and  see  that  waste  is  pre- 
vented and  economy  exercised. 

6.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  fire  department,  take  care  of  the  chem- 
ical engines,  and  test  their  efficiency  from  time  to  time,  and  see  that  the 
fire  buckets,  grenades,  etc.,  placed  in  different  stations  around  the  prison, 
are  serviceable  and  in  good  condition. 

7.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  machine  shop,  the  blacksmith,  car- 
penter, tin,  and  paint  shops  connected  with  his  department,  together 
with  the  control  and  management  of  the  prisoners  therein  engaged; 


86  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

shall  see  that  all  work  is  properly  done,  and  that  skill  and  industry 
are  attained  and  observed. 

8.  He  shall  see  that  all  machinery,  tools,  implements,  materials,  stock, 
or  other  effects  necessary  for  carrying  on  the  above  mentioned  duties 
and  industries  are  properly  used,  taken  care  of,  and  accounted  for. 

9.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  erection  of  all  buildings  within  the 
prison  inclosure;  the  plans,  estimates,  and  specifications  for  the  same 
shall  be  prepared  by  him  and  submitted,  through  the  Warden,  for  the 
approval  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners. 

10.  He  shall,  at  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  or  the 
Warden,  furnish  estimates  as  to  the  cost  of  any  proposed  improvement 
or  change  in  the  prison  buildings. 

11.  He  shall  have  supervision  of  all  improvements  or  repairs  on  the 
prison  buildings,  and  see  that  skill,  economy,  and  industry  are  exercised 
by  those  working  thereon  for  the  State. 

12.  He  shall  have  general  supervision  of  all  the  buildings  constituting 
the  prison,  and  shall  see  that  they  are  kept  in  proper  repair. 

13.  He  shall  superintend  and  instruct  in  their  duties  all  citizens, 
engineers,  or  workmen  that  may  from  time  to  time,  either  permanently 
or  temporarily,  be  employed  for  the  service  of  the  State. 

14.  He  shall,  in  a  general  way,  supervise  the  condition  of  the  boilers 
and  engines  belonging  to  contractors,  and  shall  at  once  make  report  to 
the  Warden  when,  in  his  opinion,  there  is  danger  to  life  or  property 
threatened  from  that  source. 

15.  He  shall  furnish  and  charge  to  contractors  any  material  or  work 
that  they  may  desire  for  their  workshops  and  machinery. 

16.  He  shall,  under  direction  and  supervision  of  the  Clerk  of  the 
penitentiary,  keep  accurate  account  of  his  transactions  in  any  of  the 
branches  above  enumerated,  in  a  day  book,  giving  separately  the  amounts 
respectively  charged  for  labor  and  material.     A  summary  and  abstract 
of  this  day  book  shall  be  furnished  to  the  Clerk  on  the  first  of  every 
month. 

17.  He  shall  from  his  bill  book  make  individual  bills  for  all  work  done 
in  the  State  shops  for  citizens  (not  contractors),  and  balance  them,  on 
stub,  upon  receipt  of  corresponding  cash  delivery  tickets  from  office. 
These  individual  bills  shall  also  be  entered  on  his  day  book. 

Duties  of  Receiving  and  Discharging  Officer  (Superintendent  of  Clothing 

Department), 

1.  He  shall  receive  from  the  office  all  incoming  prisoners  and  attend 
personally  to  the  bathing,  washing,  and  clothing  of  the  same,  and  take 
from  them  all  money  and  valuables  on  their  persons,  to  be  turned  over 
to  the  Clerk. 

2.  He  shall,  on  the  blanks  furnished  him,  take  a  detailed  personal 
description  of  every  incoming  prisoner,  and  also  take  his  written  consent 
to  the  examination  of  his  incoming  and  outgoing  mail  by  the  Warden 
or  an  officer  authorized  by  him. 

3.  He  shall  clothe  and  take  to  the  office  for  discharge  all  the  prisoners 
whose  terms  of  sentence  have  expired  according  to  monthly  list  furnished 
him  from  the  office,  or  who  have  been  pardoned  or  otherwise  released; 
in  so  doing  he  shall  be  careful  that  nothing  is  carried  out  by  a  discharged 
prisoner  that  is  not  his  property. 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS.  87 

4.  He  is  charged  with  the  execution  of  all  orders,  special  and  general, 
relating  to  clothing  and  bedding  for  the  use  of  the  prisoners. 

5.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  wash-room,  bath-room,  clothing-room, 
and  repair  shop,  and  shall  keep  an  account  of  all  stock  received,  used, 
and  issued,  and  of  all  articles  made  and  repaired  in  said  shop. 

6.  He  shall  have  superintendence  of  all  work  performed  in  the  wash- 
room and  clothing-room,  and  see  that  it  is  properly  done. 

7.  He  shall  superintend  the  shaving,  hair  cutting,  and  bathing  of  the 
prisoners,  and  shall  see  that  it  is  done  at  the  proper  time. 

8.  He  shall,  from  his  bill  book,  make  individual  bills  for  all  repairs 
and  other  work  done  in  his  department  for  citizens,  and  check  off  and 
balance  them,  on  stub,  upon  receipt  of  corresponding  cash  delivery  tick- 
ets from  office. 

9.  He  shall,  on  the  first  of  every  month,  make  a  report  to  the  Warden 
of  the  operations  under  his  charge,  giving  account  of  the  quantities  of 
materials  used  and  goods  issued. 

Duties  of  Usher. 

1.  The  Usher  shall,  at  such  hours  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  desig- 
nated by  the  Warden,  conduct  visitors  through  the  penitentiary,  but  to 
such  places  only  as  are  indicated  on  visitors'  passes  and  admission 
tickets. 

2.  He  shall  be  supplied  by  the  Clerk  with  admission  tickets,  hand  to 
the  Turnkey  one  for  each  visitor  not  provided  with  a  pass,  and  shall, 
once  a  month,  settle  with  the  Clerk  for  his  monthly  sales  of  tickets. 

3.  He  is  forbidden  to  point  out  any  individual  prisoner  to  visitors. 

4.  He  will  not  permit  visitors  to  have  any  communication  whatever 
with  prisoners,  to  point  at,  or  to  speak  to  them,  or  to  handle  any  tools, 
working  material,  or  manufactured  goods  in  shops. 

5.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  Usher  to  closely  examine  all  incom- 
ing and  outgoing  mail  of  prisoners,  also  all  newspapers,  parcels,  and 
packages  addressed  to  prisoners,  and  to  admit  and  permit  only  such 
matter  as  is  consistent  with  the  general  rules  of  the  prison  and  require- 
ments made  known  to  him  by  the  Warden. 

6.  He  shall  also  attend  to   interviews  between  prisoners  and  their 
friends  under  restrictions  of  the  general  rules  for  the  government  of 
prisoners;  shall  pay  close  attention  to  their  conversation,  and  see  that 
no  articles  of.  contraband  character  pass  between  them. 

7.  He  shall  receive  and  investigate  complaints  of  prisoners  through 
the  Keepers,  of  irregularities  in  the  receipt  of  mail  and  newspapers, 
and  remedy  the  defects  if  possible. 

8.  He  shall  turn  over  to  the  Clerk  all  moneys  and  valuables  sent  to 
prisoners  by  mail,  or  deposited  with  him  by  friends  visiting  them,  and 
shall  take  the  Clerk's  receipt  therefor. 

Duties  of  Librarian. 

1.  He  shall,  under  the  direction  of  the  Warden,  have  charge  of  the 
Prison   Library,  shall  have  the  books  properly  covered,  labeled,  and 
shelved,  and  see  that  they  are  kept  in  good  condition  by  prisoners  or 
other  persons  entitled  to  the  privilege  of  the  library. 

2.  He  shall  superintend  the  issuing  of  books  to  prisoners  under  such 
regulations  and  restrictions,  and  in  such  manner  as  the  Warden,  from 


88  REFORMATOEY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

time  to  time,  may  direct,  and  shall  pay  particular  attention,  by  frequent 
personal  inspection,  that  the  right  books  are  delivered  to  the  prisoners 
who  order  them. 

3.  Civilians  employed  by  or  otherwise  connected  with  the  penitentiary 
must,  before  they  are  permitted  to  draw  books  out  of  the  library,  be  pro- 
vided with  a  written  permit  from  the  Warden  to  that  effect,  and  the 
Librarian  shall  take  individual  receipts  on  blanks,  furnished  for  that 
purpose,  for  books  issued  on  the  authority  of  such  permits. 

4.  He  shall  examine  the  books  when  they  are  returned  from  the  cell- 
houses,  and  shall  report  any  serious  mutilation  or  defacing  of  them  to 
the  Warden  or  Deputy. 

5.  He  shall  carefully  check  the  bills  of  particulars  for  books  bought 
for  the  library,  receive  the  books,  assort  and  catalogue  them,  and  report 
any  deficiency  to  the  Warden. 

6.  He  shall  furnish  the  Warden  such  statements  and  statistics  con- 
cerning the  library,  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  required. 

Duties  of  the  Wagonmaster. 

1.  He  shall  have  charge  of  the  teams,  conveyances,  and  rolling  stock 
of  the  penitentiary,  and  all  the  appurtenances  thereto;  shall  see  that 
the  horses  and  mules  are  properly  cared  for,  and  that  all  the  State 
property  under   his   charge  is  economically  used   and   kept   in   good 
repair. 

2.  He  shall,  under  the  directions  of  the  Warden  and  Deputy,  supply 
the  contractors  and  State  department  with  teams  in  sufficient  number 
and  at  the  proper  time. 

Duties  of  Mail  Carrier  and  Expressman. 

1 .  He  shall  be  a  sworn  mail  carrier  of  the  United  States  postal  service 
and  carry  the  penitentiary  mail  to  and  from  the  Joilet  Post  Office,  in 
such  manner  and  at  such  times  as  the  Warden  may  direct. 

2.  He  shall,  on  every  mail  trip  to  Joilet,  visit  the  express  companies 
for  parcels  directed  to  the  institution  or  its  employes,  and  do  such  other 
errands  in  Joilet  for  the  service  of  the  institution  as  the  Warden  or 
heads  of  departments  may  request. 

3.  He  shall,  when  not  on  duty  with  his  regular  mail  trips,  assist  the 
Usher  in  conducting  visitors  through  the  penitentiary. 

Duties  of  Keepers  and  Guards. 

1.  The  Keepers  and  Guards  are  the  agents  of  the  Warden  in  enforcing 
the  police  and  discipline  of  the  prison,  and  in  carrying  into  effect  the 
laws  for  the  government  thereof. 

2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Keepers  and  Guards  to  attend  at  the 
prison  at  the  opening  thereof,  and  not  absent  themselves  therefrom,  on 
any  pretext  or  excuse,  during  prison  hours,  except  by  permission  of  the 
Warden  or  Deputy  Warden. 

3.  They  shall  supply  themselves  with  uniform,  such  as  shall  be  pre- 
scribed by  the  Warden,  with  the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Commission- 
ers, which  shall  be  constantly  worn  while  on  duty;  they  shall  constantly 
observe  the  utmost  cleanliness  in  dress,  person,  and  habits. 

4.  While  within  the  prison,  the  Keepers  and  Guards  shall  refrain 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  89 

from  whistling,  scuffling,  immoderate  laughter,  boisterous  conversation, 
exciting  discussions  on  politics,  religion,  or  other  subjects,  provoking 
witticisms  or  sarcasms,  and  all  other  acts  calculated  to  disturb  the  har- 
mony and  good  order  of  the  prison. 

5.  In  their  intercourse  among  themselves  the  officers,  Keepers,  and 
Guards  of  the  prison  are  at  all  times  to  treat  each  other  with  that  mu- 
tual respect  and  kindness  that  become  gentlemen  and  friends,  and  are 
required  to  avoid  all  collisions,  jealousies,  separate  and  party  views  and 
interests  among  themselves,  and  are  strictly  forbidden  to  treat  each  other 
with  disrespect,  or  to  use  any  ungentlemanly  epithets. 

6.  They  shall  not,  while  on  duty,  hold  conversation  with  each  other, 
nor  with  the  contractors  or  their  foreman,  except  such  as  may  be  neces- 
sary in  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 

7.  Neither  shall  they  be  engaged,  while  on  duty,  in  reading  or  writing, 
other  than  making  necessary  entries,  nor  in  any  other  employment  calcu- 
lated to  interfere  with  constant  care  and  vigilance. 

8.  They  shall  not  under  any  circumstances  allow  prisoners  to  speak 
to  them  upon  any  subject  not  immediately  connected  with  their  duty, 
employments,  or  wants. 

9.  They  shall  keep  the  prisoners  under  their  charge  diligently  at  work 
at  the  several  occupations  at  which  they  are  employed,  and  shall  make 
report  on  the  check  roll  books  of  the  daily  attendance  at  work,  also  of 
all  time  lost  by  reason  of  sickness,  punishment,  or  otherwise;  closely 
following  the  instructions  printed  in  front  of  each  check  roll. 

10.  They  shall  not  permit  prisoners  to  hold  any  conversation  with 
each  other,  or  with  any  person  whatever,  except  those  allowed  by  law, 
nor  to  communicate  with  each  other  by  signs  or  signals,  except  in  con- 
nection with  their  work. 

11.  They  shall  require  the  greatest  possible  cleanliness  in  the  prison- 
ers, their  persons  and  clothing,  and  in  their  working  and    sleeping 
apartments. 

12.  They  shall  instruct  the  prisoners  in  all  the  rules  of  the  prison 
necessary  for  their  government,  and  admonish  them  on  the  least  appear- 
ance of  insubordination. 

13.  In  all  their  intercourse  with  prisoners,  they  shall  be  careful  to 
maintain  a  quiet  demeanor,  under  any  provocation,  recollecting  that 
the  prisoner,  however  disposed  to  be  violent  or  abusive,  is  entirely  in 
their  power. 

14.  They  shall  not  punish  a  prisoner,  nor  strike  him,  except  in  sell- 
defense,  or  to  quell  an  insurrection;  nor  shall  they  use  any  profane  or 
indecorous  language  to  prisoners,  or  in  their  presence,  but  shall  uni- 
formly treat  them  in  a  kind  and  humane  manner. 

1 5.  Whenever  a  prisoner  is  guilty  of  any  infraction  of  prison  disciplinary 
rules,  the  Keeper  shall  at  once  report  the  fact  in  writing  to  the  Deputy, 
stating  the  nature  of  the  offense,  and  keeping  a  copy  of  such  report  on 
the  stub  of  the  blank  book  furnished  him  for  that  purpose. 

16.  Discipline  is  the  first  and  highest  consideration  in  a, prison,  and 
must  be  maintained  at  all  hazards,  but  that  officer  who  maintains  it 
with  the  lowest  number  of  punishments  deserves  the  highest  commenda- 
tion. 

17.  If  a  prisoner  desires  to  make  any  complaint  to  or  have  an  audi- 
ence with  the  Governor,  Commissioners,  or  Warden,  the  Keeper  shall 
receive  his  application  and  report  it  in  writing  at  once  to  the  Warden's 


90  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

office,  keeping  on  the  corresponding  stub  of  the  blank  book,  furnished  for 
that  purpose,  a  copy  of  such  report. 

18.  Whenever,  in  the  morning,  a  prisoner  reports  himself  sick  or 
desirous  to  see  the  Physician,  the  Keeper  shall  put  the  applicant's  name 
and  register  number  on  the  sick  list  book,  and  have  both  book  and 
prisoner  in  readiness  to  go  to  the  hospital  with  the  Assistant  Deputy 
Warden  on  his  daily  round  for  sick  reports.     If  a  prisoner  is  taken  sick 
or  injured  during  the  day,  the  Keeper  shall  at  once  report  the  fact  to  the 
Deputy  or  his  assistant. 

19.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  Keepers  to  keep  constant  watch  over  pris- 
oners in  workshops,  to  see  that,  while  pretending  to  be  engaged  on  the 
work  given  them  to  do,  they  are  not  in  reality  at  work  at  something  else. 
Keepers  shall  not  allow  prisoners  to  leave  their  work  without  permis- 
sion, nor  to  speak  to  or  gaze  at  visitors. 

20.  The  duties  of  Keepers  should  be  understood  as  separate  and  dis- 
tinct from  those  of  foremen,  and  the  Keepers  will  not  interfere  with  or 
attempt  to  instruct  the  prisoners  in  the  manner  in  which  they  shall 
work,  or  on  what  particular  part  they  shall  labor,  or  what  amount  they 
shall  perform;    but  they  shall  listen  to  all  reports  the  foremen  may 
desire  to  make,  and  dispose  of  the  cases  as  instructed. 

21.  In  forming  their  opinions  with  respect  to  the  industry  of  a  pris- 
oner, officers  will  bear  in  mind  that  as  one  prisoner  may  be  able  to  do 
more  work  in  a  given  time  than  another,  so  their  reports  on  this  head 
will  have  regard  more  to  the  continuous  labor  of  the  prisoner,  the  care 
bestowed  upon  it,  and  the  evidence  of  his  desire  to  do  all  he  can,  than 
the  absolute  quantity  he  does,  as  compared  with  others.     An  amount  of 
work  which  may  thus  be  sufficient  for  one  man,  may  be  quite  insuffi- 
cient for  another,  and  the  officers'  reports  will  be  made  accordingly. 

22.  Keepers  shall  receive  applications  from  prisoners  to  send  or  trans- 
fer money  to  friends  or  for  subscription  to  newspapers,  etc.,  and  shall 
twice  a  month  make  a  report  to  the  Clerk.     Transfers  of  money  from 
one  prisoner  to  another  must  be  approved  by  the  Warden  or  Deputy. 

23.  No  officer,  Keeper,  or  Guard  shall  receive  from  or  deliver  to  a  pris- 
oner any  article  or  thing  whatsoever,  without  the  knowledge  or  consent 
of  the  Warden  or  his  Deputy. 

24.  When  a  prisoner  is  sent  from  one  part  of  the  prison  to  another, 
the  officer  sending  him  shall  give  him  a  pass,  stating  the  place  from 
which,  and  the  place  to  which,  or  person  to  whom  he  is  sent.      Care 
shall  be  taken  that  the  pass  is  delivered  up  by  the  prisoner,  and  that 
he  is  not  too  long  away. 

25.  When  a  prisoner  is  obliged  to  retire  for  necessary  purposes,  the 
officer  in  charge  shall  take  care  that  the  place  is  so  conspicuous  that  the 
prisoner  cannot  leave  it  without  being  fully  seen;  that  only  one  is  per- 
mitted to  be  in  the  place  at  a  time,  and  that  he  is  absent  for  a  reason- 
able time  only.     Any  delay  in  such  cases  should  arouse  suspicion  at 
once,  and  the  officer  must  immediately  make  certain  that  all  is  right. 

26.  No  officer  shall  take  the  statement  of  one  prisoner  against  another, 
on  which  to  make  a  report  for  punishment,  respecting  the  prisoner  com- 
plained of,  but  shall  report  the  facts  nevertheless  to  the  Warden  or 
Deputy. 

27.  If  a  prisoner  makes  complaint  to  any  officer  of  any  order  given 
him,  or  of  any  action  towards  him,  by  which  he  considers  himself  ag- 
grieved, it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  officer  to  inform  the  Warden  thereof 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  91 

at  the  earliest  moment  convenient  thereafter,  and  the  Warden  will  act 
in  the  matter  as  he  may  think  reason  and  justice  may  require;  but  the 
officer  shall  in  the  meantime  see  that  the  prisoner  obeys  the  order  given 
him. 

28.  As  soon  as  the  prisoners  are  locked  up  at  night,  each  Keeper  hav- 
ing charge  of  a  division  shall  report  immediately  to  the  Deputy  Warden 
the  number  he  has  locked  up  or  has  in  charge,  at  the  same  time  turning 
over  the  cell  door  keys  to  the  Warden  House  Turnkey. 

29.  The  Turnkey  and  the  Gatekeepers  shall  permit  no  person,  not 
connected  with  the  prison  as  a  regular  employe  of  the  State,  or  contract- 
ors, to  enter  the  prison,  except  in  company  with  the  Governor  of  the 
State,  the  Commissioners,  the  Warden,  Deputy,  Assistant  Deputy,  or 
Chaplain,  unless  such  person  is  provided  with  a  pass  from  the  office; 
nor  shall  they  allow  any  prisoner  to  pass  outside  the  walls  unless  he  is 
accompanied  by  an  officer  or  has  written  authority  to  pass. 

30.  Gatekeepers  will  closely  examine  the  contents  of  wagons  and  other 
vehicles  passing  out  of  their  gates,  and  must  ever  be  vigilant  in  guard- 
ing against  surprise  or  stratagem  on  the  part  of  prisoners.     They  must 
never  permit  both  of  the  trap  gates  to  be  opened  at  the  same  time. 

31.  The  East  Gatekeepers  and  West  Yardkeepers  shall  carefully  weigh 
all  goods  or  merchandise  in  bulk,  consigned  to  the  penitentiary  by  rail- 
road or  teams,  also  all  goods  coming  from  the  prison  farm  and  slaughter 
house,  and  shall  make  daily  report  thereof  in  writing  to  the  Steward 
and  Storekeeper.     The  West  Yardkeeper,  particularly,  shall  keep  close 
and  accurate  account  of  all  railroad  cars  left  on  the  prison  tracks,  and 
keep  record  of  their  contents,  and  how  and  where  to  they  are  disposed 
of,  and  make  daily  report  thereof  to  the  Steward  and  Storekeeper. 

32.  The  Yardkeeper  shall  have  general  supervision  of  the  yard,  and 
keep  it  at  all  times  in  the  most  cleanly  condition  possible.     He  shall 
assist  and  take  instructions  from  the  Superintendent  of  State  Shops  in 
any  work  where  the  services  of  the  yardmen  are  required  on  the  grounds 
of  the  prison.     He  shall  have  charge  of  the  tools  and  implements  as- 
signed to  the  yard  gang,  and  keep  them  in  good  condition  and  repair. 

33.  The  front  yards  and  the  courts  of  the  hospital  and  solitary  and 
the  greenhouse  shall  be  in  charge  of  a  special  officer  assigned  to  that 
duty  by  the  Warden. 

34.  The  Keeper  of  the  solitary  shall  have  charge  of  the  punishment 
cells  and  the  court  solitary  cells  and  their  inmates.     In  regard  to  men 
in  punishment,  he  shall  strictly  execute  the  orders  given  him  by  the 
Warden  or  Deputy,  and  shall  at  once  report  to  them  any  unusual  occur- 
rence in  his  department.     He  shall  carefully  search  each  prisoner  enter- 
ing a  solitary  cell  for  punishment,  and  take  from  him  every  article  found 
on  his  person,  except  his  clothing;  he  shall  also,  at  least  twice  a  day, 
open  every  cell  occupied,  and  look  after  the  condition  of  its  occupant. 
He  will  remain  constantly  within  call  of  every  prisoner  occupying  a 
punishment  cell,  except  when  relieved   by  another  officer,  who  will 
assume  his  duties. 

35.  Cell-house  Keepers  will  see  that  the  utmost  cleanliness  prevails  in 
the  cells  and  corridors,  that  the  houses  are  thoroughly  ventilated  and 
warmed  when  necessary,  that  the  cells  are  regularly  supplied  with  drink- 
ing and  washing  water,  and  that  the  distribution  of  food  at  meal  times, 
also  the  regular  issues  of  tobacco,  soap,  and  other  supplies,  are  properly 
and  impartially  made.     They  shall  also  carefully  and  promptly  deliver 


92  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

all  letters,  newspapers,  etc.,  handed  over  to  them  by  the  Usher  with  his 
"  permit,"  to  their  respective  addresses.  They  are  not  permitted  to  ex- 
amine or  inspect  either  outgoing  or  incoming  convict  mail.  They  shall, 
from  time  to  time,  examine  the  cell  doors  and  gratings  and  see  that  they 
are  in  good  and  secure  condition;  they  also  shall  occasionally  examine 
and  search  cells  and  report  the  presence  of  any  contraband  articles  to 
the  Warden  or  Deputy. 

Duties  of  Armed  Guards. 

1.  Guards  are  subject  to  the  same  rules  and  regulations  as  Keepers,  in 
regard  to  their  relation  to  officers  and  prisoners. 

2.  The  first  and  most  important  duty  of  a  Guard  at  all  times  is  to 
maintain  the  safe  custody  of  the  prisoners,  and  to  that  end  the  rules  of 
the  institution  require,  and  the  laws  of  the  State  justify,  the  shooting  of 
prisoners,  when  in  a  state  of  mutiny,  when  offering  violence  to  officers 
or  other  prisoners,  or  when  attempting  to  escape.     Except  in  extreme 
cases,  offenders  should  be  once  distinctly  warned  of  the  consequences 
before  shooting  is  resorted  to. 

3.  Wall  and  Front  Guards  are  required  to  pace  their  beats  at  least  half 
the  time  while  on  duty,  with  rifle  in  hand,  and  must  never  leave  their  post 
of  duty  without  being  relieved  by  proper  authority. 

4.  Guards  must  keep  their  arms  and  accouterments  clean  and  in  per- 
fect order,  constantly  ready  for  use,  and  neither  cut,  mark,  nor  deface 
them  in  any  manner.     Arms  will  be  charged  to  them,  and  they  will  be 
required  to  pay  for  the  willful  or  careless  loss,  destruction,  or  damage  to 
the  same. 

5.  The  Guards  will  require  on  the  part  of  the  prisoners  a  strict  com- 
pliance with  such  rules  of  the  institution  as  may  come  within  the  province 
of  their  special  duties  to  enforce,  and  report  at  the  earliest  practicable 
moment  any  infraction  thereof. 

Duties  of  Captain  of  Night  Watch  and  Night  Guards. 

1.  The  night  force  shall  go  on  duty  at  the  sound  of  the  evening  whistle, 
and  remain  on  duty  until  the  signal  is  given  in  the  morning  for  unlock- 
ing the  cells  of  the  prisoners. 

2.  The  Captain  shall  be  held  responsible  for  the  security  of  the  prison 
and  see  that  good  order  is  maintained  during  the  night.     He  shall  make 
report  to  the  Warden  in  the  morning  of  any  unusual  occurrence  or  any 
violation  of  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  prison  that  may  have  taken 
place  during  the  night.     It  shall  be  his  duty  to  call  the  Warden  at  any 
hour  during  the  night  that  he  may  regard  his  presence  necessary. 

3.  It  shall  be  his  duty  to  make  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  prison 
during  the  night  once  every  two  hours,  and  personally  convince  himself 
of  the  watchfulness  of  his  subordinates  in  the  different  parts  of  the 
prison. 

4.  He  shall  require  of  all  officers  or  citizens  who  work  inside  of  the 
walls  at  night  a  strict  compliance  with  all  the  rules  that  prevail  in  the 
daytime,  and  has  authority  to  eject  any  citizen  who  does  not  strictly 
•conform  to  them. 

5.  He  shall  not,  under  any  circumstances,  leave  the  prison  during  his 
time  of  duty,  or  until  properly  relieved,  without  the  consent  of  the 
Warden. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  93 

6.  The  Warden  House  front  door  must  invariably  be  locked  at  eleven 
o'clock  p.  M.     The  Captain  and  the  Night  Turnkey  are  both  required  to 
promptly  report  to  the  Warden  on  the  following  morning  any  person 
entering  the  prison  under  the  influence  of  liquor  or  at  an  unusually  late 
hour. 

7.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Night  Guards,  having  charge  of  the  cell- 
houses,  to  be  moving  around  the  cells  with  "  sneakshoes  "  on,  in  a  silent 
manner,  that  they  may  be  able  to  detect  any  unnecessary  noise;  and  it 
is  strictly  enjoined  upon  them  not  to  hold  conversation  with  the  prison- 
ers, or  to  suffer  the  prisoners  to  speak  to  them  except  to  make  known 
immediate  wants;  they  must  use  their  utmost  exertions  to  suppress 
noise  of  any  kind,  and  report  to  the  Captain  of  the  Night  Watch  any 
violations  of  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  penitentiary,  by  the  prison- 
ers, while  in  their  cells. 

8.  The  Night  Guard  in  the  solitary  shall  closely  follow  the  instructions 
of  the  Warden  and  Deputy  in  regard  to  inmates  of  punishment  cells, 
and  shall  every  morning  make  written  report  to  the  Warden  of  the  num- 
ber of  prisoners  in  solitary  and  their  condition  during  the  night,  noting 
every  unusual  occurrence  coming  under  his  observation. 

9.  The  Night  Guard  in  the  hospital  shall  observe  the  rules  governing 
the  Hospital  Steward  in  regard  to  inmates  of  the  hospital,  and  attend 
conscientiously  to  wants  of  the  sick. 

10.  The  Night  Fire  Watch  shall  make  his  regular  rounds  in  the  prison 
at  short  intervals,  in  such  a  way  as  the  Warden  or  Captain  of  the  Night 
Watch,  from  time  to  time,  may  direct. 

Duties  of  Matron. 

1.  She  'shall,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Warden,  have  charge  of 
the  Female  Department  of  the  penitentiary,  and  of  the  prisoners  and 
prison  property  therein.     She  shall  conform  to  the  general  rules  and 
regulations  governing  the  prison. 

2.  She  shall  not  introduce  any  change  in  the  nature  of  the  employ- 
ment of  the  prisoners  without  the  permission  of  the  Warden. 

3.  She  shall  see  that  each  prisoner  under  her  charge  is  furnished  with 
such  clothing,  food,  and  other  articles  as  the  prison  regulations  prescribe. 

4.  She  shall  see  that  good  discipline  and  order  are  observed  by  all  the 
inmates,  and  that  the  prisoners  faithfully  do  the  work  required  of  them 
by  direction  of  the  Warden. 

5.  On  the  reception  of  a  prisoner,  she  shall  see  that  she  is  thoroughly 
washed,  dressed  in  prison  clothing,  and  examined  by  the  Physician. 
Every  article  which  a  prisoner  brings  in  with  her  shall  be  taken  from 
her,  and  the  same  steps  taken  with  regard  to  her  effects  as  are  required 
with  those  of  male  prisoners. 

6.  She  shall  spend  the  entire  day  visiting  frequently,  but  irregularly 
and  w'ithout  notice,  the  work  shop  and  laundry,  instructing  the  prison- 
ers in  their  work,  and  see  that  it  is  properly  done. 

7.  She  shall  attend  the  sick  and  see  that  they  are  properly  cared  for. 

8.  Cases  of  sickness  are  to  be  regularly  reported  by  her  to  the  Physi- 
cian, and  any  sudden  case  occurring  during  either  the  day  or  night 
must  be  reported  immediately  to  the  Warden,  Deputy  Warden,  or  Cap- 
tain of  the  Night  Watch. 

9.  She  shall  not  absent  herself  from  the  penitentiary  during  her  time 
of  duty,  without  the  permission  of  the  Warden. 


94  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

10.  She  shall  attend  Sunday  morning  services  whenever  held  for  the 
inmates  of  the  female  prison. 

11.  She  shall  reside  at  the  penitentiary,  in  the  apartments  furnished 
for  her  by  the  State,  and  shall,  on  the  first  of  each  month,  furnish  a 
written  report  to  the  Warden  of  the  work  done  in  her  department  the 
previous  month,  and  the  general  condition  thereof. 

General  Rules. 

1.  Every  man  received  upon  the  staff  of  the  penitentiary  will  bear 
constantly  in  mind  the  nature  of  the  institution  into  the  service  of 
which  he  enters,  the  peculiarity  of  the  duties  he  will  have  to  perform  as 
an  officer,  and  the  moral  obligations  he  is  'Understood  to  assume,  with 
reference  to  his  own  personal  conduct,  from  the  time  he  is  engaged. 

2.  He  must  understand  that  the  penitentiary  is  not  only  designed  as 
a  prison  for  the  punishment  of  persons  who  have  offended  against  the 
lawrs,  but  also  as  an  institution  which  intends  their  reformation,  if  pos- 
sible. 

3.  Every  officer,  therefore,  will  not  only  feel  it  his  duty  to  see  that 
the  rules  of  the  prison  are  observed  by  the  prisoners  placed  under  him, 
but  will  also  understand  that  he  must  conduct  himself,  when  off  duty  as 
well  as  when  on  duty,  in  such  a  way  as  to  inspire  sentiments  of  respect 
for  his  moral  principles  and  character. 

4.  He  will  be  accordingly  expected  to  be  circumspect  in  his  way  of 
life  in  society,  careful  as  to  the  company  he  keeps  and  the  places  he 
frequents,  and  guarded  as  to  the  discharge  of  his  personal  obligations, 
debts,  etc.;  and  the  Warden  will  take  all  necessary  steps  to  make  him- 
self acquainted  with  the  conduct  and  general  habits  of  every  officer  and 
servant  of  the  institution,  as  it  will  be  his  dilty  to  retain  no  man  in  the 
service  whose  conduct  is  improper. 

5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  every  officer  of  the  penitentiary  to  make 
himself  acquainted  with  the  provisions  of  the  Penitentiary  Act,  and 
also  with  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  prison,  and  with  the  orders 
on  the  bulletin  board,  to  obey  them  readily  himself  in  all  points  of  his 
own  duty,  and  to  enforce  strict  obedience  of  them  upon  all  who  may 
come  under  his  authority. 

6.  All  persons  entering  upon  or  retaining  any  position  as  employes  of 
this  institution,  must  do  so  with  the  full  understanding  that  they  are 
to  lead  a  prompt,  willing,  and  positive  obedience  to  the  rules  of  the 
penitentiary,  and  the  instructions  of  its  officers,  and  devote  their  best 
energies  and  abilities  industriously  and  faithfully  to  the  performance 
of  the  duties  to  which  they  may  be  assigned;  and  all  who  cannot  do  so 
cheerfully  must  neither  accept  nor  retain  position  here. 

7.  Any  employe  desiring  to  leave  the  service  of  the  institution  will  be 
required  to  give  thirty  days'  notice  of  his  intention  so  to  do,  otherwise 
all  pay  due  will  be  forfeited  to  the  penitentiary.     While  the 'prison 
authorities  are  willing  to  give  the  same  notice  when  consistent  with  the 
interests  of  the  institution,  yet  they  reserve  the  right  to  dismiss  at  any 
time,  without  notice,  by  paying  in  full  for  all  services  rendered. 

8.  Employes  will  be  required  to  report  to  the  Assistant  Deputy  War- 
den twice  each  day  (morning  and  evening),  that  their  time  may  be 
correctly  kept,  and  to  be  promptly  at  their  respective  posts  and  places 
of  business  at  the  appointed  hour. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  95 

9.  No  employe  will  be  allowed  to  absent  himself  from  duty  under  any 
circumstances,  without  permission  from  the  Warden  or  Deputy.     Should 
an  employe  be  taken  sick  he  must  immediately  send  information  thereof 
to  the  Warden  or  Deputy,  so  that  another  may  be  employed  temporarily 
in  his  place. 

10.  Employes  are  strictly  prohibited  from  taking  newspapers,  books, 
or  other  reading  matter  inside  the  walls  or  cell-houses,  and  are  cautioned 
against  leaving  the  same  about  the  Warden's  house  within  reach  of  the 
prisoners,  and  are  absolutely  prohibited  from  leaving  any  citizens'  cloth- 
ing inside  the  yard  or  cell-houses. 

11.  Employes  are  strictly  prohibited  from  talking  with  prisoners  at 
any  time,  except  as  the  nature  of  their  business  may  require,  and  all 
familiarity  between  employes  and  prisoners  is  absolutely  prohibited. 

12.  Employes  are  prohibited  from  selling  to  or  buying  anything  from 
prisoners,  or  giving  to  or  receiving  from  them  anything  in  the  nature  of 
a  gift  or  present,  or  conveying  to  or  from  them  any  message,  either  writ- 
ten or  verbal. 

13.  Employes  are  prohibited  from  replying  in  like  terms  to  what  they 
may  conceive  to  be  impudent  or  insulting  language  on  the  part  of  a 
prisoner.     Their  duty  is  to  report  such  infraction  of  discipline. 

14.  Employes  are  prohibited  from  using  profane,  indecent,  abusive, 
or  insulting  language  toward  prisoners,  or  in  their  presence,  and  are 
required  to  refrain  at  all  times  from  the  use  of  such  language  in  or 
about  the  institution. 

15.  Employes  will  be  required  to  pay  for  the  willful  destruction,  loss, 
waste,  or  damage  by  them  of  any  property  of  the  prison. 

16.  All  employes  are  prohibited  from  discussing,  within  the  limits  of 
the  prison,  the  manner  in  which  any  officer  or  employe  performs  his 
duty,  and  from  making  any  remarks  which  might  tend  to  reflect  upon 
the  character  or  management  of  such  officer  or  employe.     They  are  also 
prohibited  from  discussing,  in  the  presence  of  prisoners,  matters  relating 
to  the  discipline  or  management  of  this  or  other  similar  institutions. 

17.  Employes  are  strictly  prohibited  at  all  times  from  smoking  inside 
the  walls  or  cell-houses. 

18.  Intemperance  will  not  be  tolerated  among  employes,  neither  will 
they  be  allowed  to  keep  or  use  intoxicating  drinks  in  or  about  the  insti- 
tution.    Frequenting  saloons  or  disreputable  places  by  employes  will 
be  considered  as  sufficient  cause  for  their  dismissal. 

19.  Employes  will  refrain  from  visiting  the  shops  or  yard  while  off 
duty,  and  from  receiving  visits  while  on  duty. 

20.  No  officer,  Guard,  or  Keeper  will  be  permitted,  except  in  an  emer- 
gency, to  exchange  duties  with  another  or  procure  a  substitute  to  dis- 
charge his  duties,  without  first  obtaining  permission  of  the  Warden  or 
Deputy  Warden. 

21.  Every  officer  of  the  penitentiary  must  understand  that  the  War- 
den has  the  right  to  exact  his  services  without  extra  pay  in  any  capacity 
for  which  he  may  consider  the  officer  fit. 

22.  Employes,  who  reside  at  the  penitentiary,  have  to  report  to  the 
Deputy  Warden  whenever  they  absent  themselves  from  the  prison  in 
the  evening  or  during  the  night.     The  outer  doors  of  the  prison  will  be 
locked  at  eleven  o'clock;  officers  returning  after  that  hour  without  special 
permit  will  be  reported  to  the  Warden. 

23.  Under  the  laws  of  this  State  the  Warden  of  the  penitentiary  and 


96  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

his  assistants,  the  Guards  and  Keepers,  shall  be  conservators  of  the  peace, 
and,  as  such,  have  power  to  arrest  or  cause  to  be  arrested,  with  or  with- 
out process,  upon  any  grounds  owned  or  leased  by  the  State  of  Illinois 
and  used  by  the  penitentiary,  all  persons  who  shall  break  the  peace  or 
be  found  upon  said  grounds  violating  any  criminal  law  of  this  State,  and 
take  such  persons  before  a  magistrate  for  trial. 

24.  The  Commissioners  allow  each  employe  of  the  institution,  after 
six  months'  continuous  service,  a  furlough  of  fourteen  days  each  year 
without  loss  of  pay,  and  in  order  to  equalize  this  furlough  among  all, 
the  commutation  of  the  same  in  money  to  all  whose  salary  is  less  than 
$70  per  month.  This  commutation  of  furlough  will  be  paid  once  a  year, 
about  the  first  of  July,  but  is  forfeited  either  by  resignation  or  discharge. 
Therefore,  absence  from  the  prison  for  any  cause  whatever  will  be  charged 
against  the  officer's  payroll;  the  only  exception  being  sickness,  when,  on 
producing  a  certificate  from  a  physician,  an  officer  will  be  allowed  pay 
for  ten  days  each  year  for  absence  from  duty  on  that  account. 

Rules  for  Contractors  and  Foremen. 

1.  Contractors,  their  agents  and  foremen,  shall  hold  no  intercourse 
with  any  of  the  prisoners,  other  than  those  employed  or  superintended 
by  them,  nor  upon  any  subject  whatever,  other  than  the  business  car- 
ried on  by  them. 

2.  No  foreman  shall  be  employed  by  contractors  within  the  prison 
without  first  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  Warden. 

3.  The  chief  duty  of  foremen  is  to  instruct  and  direct  prisoners  in 
that  particular  branch  of  business  to  which  they  are  assigned,  and  to  do 
so  in  a  mild  but  firm  and  dignified  manner.     In  assigning  tasks  to  pris- 
oners the  amount  of  each  task  shall  be  determined  by  the  Warden,  sub- 
ject to  revision  by  the  Commissioners. 

4.  Foremen  are  not  required  for  the  purpose  of  governing  or  disciplin- 
ing prisoners;  therefore  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  should  use  force 
or  threatening  language  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  the  use  of 
such  is  strictly  prohibited,  except  of  course  in  cases  of  self-defense,  in 
defense  of  others,  or  to  preserve  the  peace  of  the  institution,  and  main- 
tain the  safe  custody  of  the  prisoners. 

5.  When  prisoners  willfully  fail  to  carry  out  the  instructions  of  a 
foreman,  or  use  threatening,  defiant,  or  impudent  language,  or  commit 
any  other  act  endangering  the  peace  and  good  discipline  of  the  institu- 
tion, it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  foreman  to  immediately  report  the  same 
to  the  Keeper  in  charge. 

6.  All  foremen  must  be  promptly  at  their  respective  shops  at  the  hour 
fixed  for  prisoners  to  commence  work,  and  will  be  required  to  remain 
there  during  working  hours,  and  make  a  thorough  examination  of  their 
premises  personally,  after  the  prisoners  have  left,  at  noon  and  at  night. 

7.  Foremen  are  particularly  prohibited  from  carrying  in  or  out  of  the 
prison  any  mail  matter  for  prisoners  without  express  permission  from 
the  Warden.     Offenders  will  invariably  be  summarily  dealt  with. 

8.  Contractors  will  not  be  allowed  to  erect  any  temporary  wooden 
buildings  or  sheds  within  the  prison  walls. 

9.  All  scraps,  shavings,  chips,  sticks,  and  other  combustible  waste 
must  be  disposed  of  each  day  either  for  fuel  or  by  removal  from  the 
yard. 


REFORMATOKY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  97 

10.  Old  trash  and  other  material,  not  necessary  to  carry  on  the  busi- 
ness of  the  contracts,  must  not  be  permitted  to  accumulate  within  the 
yard  or  shops. 

WESTERN   PENITENTIARY    OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

This  institution  is  situated  at  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  In  1883  the 
law  abolished  contract  labor,  and  this  necessitate'd  a  resort  to  the  public 
account  system;  and  the  management  selected  the  manufacture  of  cocoa 
mats  and  matting  as  the  main  industry,  for  the  reason  that  this  branch 
of  labor  did  not  compete  with  any  interest  of  the  State.  The  work  is 
performed  almost  wholly  by  hand,  and  is  of  such  a  simple  character  that 
it  can  be  easily  learned.  But  this  industry  does  not  give  employment 
to  all  the  convicts,  and  many  are  idle  for  want  of  proper  employment. 

The  Warden  receives  a  salary  of  $4,500  per  annum,  with  a  furnished 
house,  horses,  carriage,  and  driver,  but  supplies  his  own  provisions  and 
subsistence. 

The  salary  of  the  Deputy  Warden  is  $2,000  a  year.  The  Chaplain 
receives  a  salary  of  $1,500  per  year,  the  Physician  $1,200,  the  Clerk 
$1,800,  the  Assistant  Deputy  Warden  $1,000,  Steward  $1,000,  Chief  En- 
gineer $1,300,  and  Assistant  Engineer  $1,000.  The  Guards  or  Overseers 
who  have  been  in  the  service  for  less  than  six  months  receive  $600  per 
annum;  those  who  have  been  retained  for  two  and  a  half  years  receive 
$700  per  annum;  those  who  have  served  after  that  time  and  less  than 
five  years  receive ,$800  per  annum;  while  those  who  have  been  in  the 
service  of  the  State  for  over  five  years  receive  $900  per  annum. 

At  the  time  that  I  visited  this  institution  in  September,  it  had  six 
hundred  and  seventy-one  inmates.  The  prisoners  are  fed  in  their  cells, 
all  eating  the  same  kind  of  food,  and  their  fare  is  varied  for  different 
days,  running  through  the  week  as  follows: 

Monday. 

Breakfast. — Bread,  coffee,  and  cheese;  sugar  or  syrup  once  a  month. 
Dinner. — Fresh  beef,  boiled  rice,  and  coffee,  with  a  little  sugar  on  top 
of  rice. 

Supper. — Bread  and  coffee. 

Tuesday. 

Breakfast. — Bread,  coffee,  and  fried  bacon. 
Dinner. — Vegetables,  soup,  boiled  beef,  and  potatoes. 
Supper. — Bread   and  tea,  and  during  the   summer  season  a  small 
quantity  of  fruit  or  tomatoes. 

Wednesday. 

Breakfast. — Bread,  coffee,  and  fried  mush. 

Dinner. — Roast  beef,  baked  beans  or  potatoes,  coffee. 

Supper. — Bread  and  coffee. 


98  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

Thursday. 

Breakfast. — Bread,  coffee,  and  "Bowery"  hash.  The  hash  is  made  of 
twelve  bushels  of  potatoes,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  beef,  and 
three  bushels  of  onions. 

Dinner. — Tomato  or  bean  soup,  boiled  beef. 

Supper. — Coffee  and  bread. 

Friday. 

Breakfast. — Bread,  coffee,  fried  salmon.    ( Columbia  River  salt  salmon. ) 
Dinner. — Stew  (composed  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds 

of  mutton  and  beef,  fifteen  bushels  of  potatoes,  and  three  bushels  of 

onions). 

Supper. — Bread  and  tea. 

Saturday. 

Breakfast. — Cornbread  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Bean  soup  and  meat. 
Supper. — Coffee  and  bread. 

Sunday. 

Breakfast. — Bread  and  coffee. 

Dinner. — Pork,  potatoes,  raw  onions  or  pickles. 

Supper. — Coffee. 

I  made  some  inquiry  of  the  officers  as  to  what  extent  convicts  were 
permitted  to  perform  clerical  work  in  the  prison.  They  are  allowed,  I 
was  told,  to  make  entries  in  the  books  of  the  Commissary  Department, 
but  not  in  those  of  the  Clerk  of  the  prison. 

The  per  capita  cost  last  year  was  45  cents  per  day,  including  all 
repairs;  but  excluding  these,  the  cost  was  36-|  cents  per  capita,  and  of 
this  amount  a  per  capita  cost  of  12  cents  was  required  for  subsistence. 

The  convicts  are  not  allowed  to  put  furniture  in  their  cells.  They  are 
allowed  a  looking-glass  costing  25  cents,  and  all  else  is  required  to  be  in 
keeping  with  their  surroundings. 

The  mode  of  punishment  usually  resorted  to  is  incarceration  in  a 
semi-dark  cell,  for  a  period  not  extending  over  eight  or  nine  days. 

Visitors  are  required  to  have  a  pass  from  one  of  the  Inspectors.  They 
are  received  every  afternoon  except  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays,  and  the 
general  visitor  is  charged  an  admission  fee  of  25  cents,  and  the  money 
realized  from  this  source  is  devoted  to  the  library. 

The  officers  all  board  themselves  in  the  city.  They  are  required  to  be 
on  duty  from  six  A.  M.  to  six  p.  M.  Each  officer  is  allowed  ten  days  leave 
of  absence  during  the  year  without  reduction  of  salary.  If  in  case  of 
sickness  or  other  cause  his  absence  from  duty  reaches  a  longer  period, 
he  does  not  receive  any  salary  for  such  excess. 

Cigarette  smoking  is  not  allowed.  The  prisoners  are  allowed  to  smoke 
in  their  cells  in  the  evening  from  six  to  seven  o'clock.  They  are  allowed 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  99 

the  use  of  string  instruments,  and  instruction  is  given  to  illiterate  pris- 
oners by  an  officer  detailed  for  that  'purpose. 

Convicts  are  allowed  to  write  to  friends  or  others  once  a  month  and 
to  receive  letters  from  them  in  return,  and  may  see  their  friends  once  in 
three  months;  but  these  privileges  may  be  suspended  for  bad  conduct. 

STATE    PENITENTIARY   FOR   EASTERN   DISTRICT    OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

The  prison  is  situated  at  Philadelphia,  and  is  unique  in  its  character, 
being  the  only  one  in  the  United  States  in  which  the  plan  of  the  sep- 
arate imprisonment  of  prisoners  is  now  followed.  Mr.  Richard  Vaux, 
who  is  President  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors,  and  has  a  reputation 
throughout  the  United  States  and  Europe  as  an  able  writer  and  deep 
thinker  on  prison  management  and  penal  subjects,  gave  me  many  valu- 
able suggestions  in  reference  to  the  treatment  of  criminals  and  the 
reformation  of  the  young.  To  him  I  am  indebted  for  the  following 
information  concerning  the  history  and  management  of  this  institution. 

On  the  seventh  of  February,  1776,  there  was  formed  in  Philadelphia 
an  association  known  as  "  The  Philadelphia  Society  for  Assisting  Dis- 
tressed Prisoners."  Owing  to  the  possession  of  the  city  by  the  British 
army,  the  society  was  able  to  accomplish  but  little. 

In  1787  another  society  was  formed  under  the  name  of  "The  Phila- 
delphia Society  for  Alleviating  the  Miseries  of  Public  Prisons."  This 
society  presented  a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  which  it  was  represented  that  punishment  "  by  more  private  or  even 
solitary  labor  would  more  successfully  tend  to  redeem  the  unhappy 
objects."  This  society  presented  several  memorials  to  the  Legislature  of 
the  State,  and  several  Acts  were  at  different  times  passed  by  that  body 
relating  to  prison  management;  and  finally,  in  1821,  an  Act  was  passed 
authorizing  the  erection  of  a  State  Penitentiary  within  the  City  and 
County  of  Philadelphia,  to  be  conducted  on  the  principle  of  the  solitary 
confinement  of  the  convicts. 

The  question  of  whether  the  congregate  or  the  separate  plan  was  the 
better  for  prison  management  was  a  topic  much  discussed.  The  separate 
plan  had  many  opponents  as  well  as  friends.  As  showing  the  views 
that  prevailed  at  that  time  among  those  who  considered  the  separate 
plan  as  the  more  advisable,  attention  is  called  to  the  following  extract 
from  the  answer  of  Roberts  Vaux  to  the  objections  of  an  opponent  of 
this  system: 

It  is  very  evident  to  my  mind  that  the  true  nature  of  the  "  separate 
confinement "  which  is  proposed,  requires  explanation.  I  will,  there- 
fore, endeavor  to  describe  what  is  intended  by  its  friends.  Previously, 


100  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

however,  it  ought  to  be  understood  that  the  chambers  and  yards  pro- 
vided for  the  prisoners  are  like  anything  but  those  dreary  and  fearful 
abodes  which  the  pamphlet  before  me  would  represent  them  to  be,  "  des- 
tined to  contain  an  epitome  and  concentration  of  all  human  misery,  of 
which  the  Bastile  of  France  and  the  Inquisition  of  Spain  were  only  pro- 
totypes and  humble  models." 

The  rooms  of  the  new  penitentiary  at  Philadelphia  are  fire-proof,  of 
comfortable  dimensions,  with  convenient  courts  to  each,  built  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground — judiciously  lighted  from  the  roof — well  ventilated 
and  warmed,  and  ingeniously  provided  with  means  for  affording  a  con- 
tinual supply  of  excellent  water,  to  insure  the  most  perfect  cleanliness 
of  every  prisoner  and  his  apartment.*  They  are,  moreover,  so  arranged 
as  to  be  inspected  and  protected  without  a  military  guard,  usually  though 
unnecessarily  employed  in  establishments  of  this  kind  in  most  other 
States. 

In  these  chambers  no  individual,  however  humble  or  elevated,  can  be 
confined,  so  long  as  the  public  liberty  shall  endure,  but  upon  conviction 
of  a  known  and  well  defined  offense,  by  the  verdict  of  a  jury  of  the 
country,  and  under  the  sentence  of  a  Court  for  a  specified  time.  The 
terms  of  imprisonment  it  is  believed  can  be  apportioned  to  the  nature 
of  every  crime  with  considerable  accuracy,  and  will  no  doubt  be  meas- 
ured in  that  merciful  degree  which  has  uniformly  characterized  the 
modern  penal  legislation  of  Pennsylvania.  Where  then,  allow  me  to 
inquire,  is  there  in  this  system  the  least  resemblance  to  that  dreadful 
receptacle  constructed  in  Paris  during  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Fifth, 
and  which  at  different  periods  through  four  centuries  and  a  half  was  an 
engine  of  oppression  and  torture  to  thousands  of  innocent  persons; 
or  by  what  detortion  can  it  be  compared  to  the  inquisitorial  Courts  and 
prisons  that  were  instituted  in  Italy,  Portugal,  and  Spain  between  the 
years  1251  and  1537? 

With  such  accommodations  as  I  have  mentioned,  and  with  the  mod- 
erate duration  of  imprisonment  contemplated  on  the  Pennsylvania  plan, 
I  cannot  admit  the  possibility  of  the  consequences  which  thy  pamphlet 
predicts,  "that  a  great  number  of  individuals  will  probably  be  put  to 
death  by  the  superinduction  of  diseases  inseparable  from  such  mode  of 
treatment."  I  do  not  apprehend  either  the  physical  maladies,  so  vividly 
portrayed,  or  the  mental  sufferings,  which  with  equal  confidence  it  is 
promised  shall  "cause  the  mind  to  rush  back  upon  itself,  and  drive 
reason  from  her  seat."  On  the  contrary,  it  is  my  belief  that  less  bodily 
indisposition  and  less  mortality  will  attend  separate  confinement  than 
imprisonment  upon  the  present  method,  for  which  some  reasons  might 
be  given  that  it  wrould  be  improper  here  to  expose. 

By  "  separate  confinement,"  therefore,  it  is  intended  to  punish 
those  who  will  not  control  their  wicked  passions  and  propensities, 
thereby  violating  divine  and  human  laws;  and  moreover  to  effect  this 
punishment,  without  terminating  the  life  of  the  culprit  in  the  midst  of 
his  wickedness,  or  making  a  mockery  of  justice  by  forming  such  into 
communities  of  hardened  and  corrupting  transgressors,  who  enjoy  each 
other's  society,  and  contemn  the  very  power  which  thus  vainly  seeks 
their  restoration,  and  idly  calculates  to  afford  security  to  the  State  from 
their  outrages  in  future. 

*The  exact  size  of  the  chambers  is  eight  feet  by  twelve  feet,  the  highest  point  of  the 
ceiling  sixteen  feet.  The  yards  are  eight  feet  by  twenty  feet. 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  101 

In  "  separate  confinement "  every  prisoner  is  placed  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  being  made  more  corrupt  by  his  imprisonment,  since  the  least 
association  of  convicts  with  each  other  must  inevitably  yield  pernicious 
consequences  in  a  greater  or  less  degree. 

In  "  separate  confinement "  the  prisoners  will  not  know  who  are 
undergoing  punishment  at  the  same  time  with  themselves;  and  thus  will 
be  afforded  one  of  the  greatest  protections  to  such  as  may  happily  be 
enabled  to  form  resolutions  to  behave  well  when  they  are  discharged, 
and  be  better  qualified  to  do  so,  because  plans  of  villainy  are  often 
formed  in  jail  which  the  authors  carry  into  operation  when  at  large,  not 
unfrequently  engaging  the  aid  of  their  companions,  who  are  thereby 
induced  to  commit  new  and  more  heinous  offenses,  and  come  back  to 
prison  under  the  heaviest  sentences  of  the  law. 

In  "separate  confinement"  it  is  especially  intended  to  furnish  the 
criminal  with  every  opportunity  which  Christian  duty  enjoins  for  pro- 
moting his  restoration  to  the  path  of  virtue,  because  seclusion  is  believed 
to  be  an  essential  ingredient  in  moral  treatment,  and  with  religious 
instruction  and  advice  superadded,  is  calculated  to  achieve  more  than 
has  ever  yet  been  done  for  the  miserable  tenants  of  our  penitentiaries. 

In  "  separate  confinement "  a  specific  graduation  of  punishment  can 
be  obtained  as  surely  and  with  as  much  facility  as  by  any  other  system. 
Some  prisoners  may  labor — some  may  be  kept  without  labor — some  may 
have  the  privilege  of  books — others  may  be  deprived  of  it — some  may 
experience  total  seclusion — others  may  enjoy  such  intercourse  as  shall 
comport  with  an  entire  separation  of  prisoners. 

In  "separate  confinement"  the  same  variety  of  discipline  for  offenses 
committed  after  convicts  are  introduced  into  prison,  which  any  other 
mode  affords,  can  be  obtained,  though  irregularities  must  necessarily  be 
less  frequent — by  denying  the  refractory  individual  the  benefit  of  his 
yard,  by  taking  from  him  his  books  or  labor,  and  lastly,  in  extreme 
cases,  by  diminishing  his  diet  to  the  lowest  rate.  By  the  last  means  the 
most  fierce,  hardened,  and  desperate  offender  can  be  subdued. 

Hon.  John  Sergeant,  of  Philadelphia,  in  a  letter  published  in  1827, 
in  vindication  of  the  Pennsylvania  system,  said: 

The  objection  to  it  is  that  its  severity  would  be  intolerable.  As  it 
has  never  been  fairly  tested  by  experiment,  this  objection  must,  for  the 
present,  be  somewhat  conjectural.  There  may  be  individuals  who  will 
not  be  able  to  endure  continued  solitude  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time.  In  such  cases  some  modification  in  their  favor  may  be  necessary. 
Experience  will  show  to  what  extent  this  ought  to  be  made.  That  there 
are  any  to  whom  solitary  confinement,  even  for  a  short  time,  would  be 
fatal,  or  even  highly  injurious,  may  well  be  doubted,  for  we  have  had 
frequent  instances  of  its  infliction  without  such  effects. 

To  return,  however,  to  the  charge  of  cruelty,  with  which  it  has  been 
stigmatized  in  advance,  and  therefore  gratuitously,  it  may  be  replied,  in 
the  first  place,  that  if  it  be  only  meant  that  the  punishment  will  be 
severe,  but  without  injury  to  the  health  or  morals  of  the  patient,  there 
is  nothing  in  the  objection.  Punishment  ought  to  be  severe,  if  it  is 
meant  to  operate  at  all.  People  are  not  sent  to  prison  to  enjoy  there 
the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life.  It  may  be  replied,  further,  that  admit- 
ting it  to  be  severe,  or  even  very  severe,  before  it  can  on  that  account  be 


102  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

condemned,  it  must  be  compared  with  any  other  practicable  mode  of 
punishment,  and  a  fair  comparison  made  of  the  cruelty  (so  called)  of 
each.  And  in  making  this  comparison  we  must  take  into  account 
the  general  merits  of  the  respective  plans  as  they  tend  more  or  less  to 
the  welfare  of  society  and  of  the  unhappy  subject  of  punishment.  If 
there  is  a  well  grounded  hope  of  lessening  the  quantity  of  crime,  and 
thus  promoting  the  general  happiness  and  security  of  society,  and  if 
there  is  also  a  hope  of  reforming  the  criminal,  or  even  deterring  him 
from  the  repetition  of  crime,  these  are  powerful  considerations  to  be 
placed  in  the  scale  against  specific  objections  of  severity.  Nor,  in  this 
estimate,  must  we  forget  that  this  plan  of  solitary  confinement  has  one 
peculiar  and  great  recommendation  which  no  one  can  question.  It  will 
prevent  prisoners  from  injuring  each  other  by  vicious  instruction,  a  most 
cruel  thing,  it  must  be  admitted,  as  it  relates  to  those  who  are  exposed 
to  such  a  novitiate,  and  as  it  relates  to  society  in  general. 

In  1828,  Hon.  Edward  Livingston,  lawyer  and  publicist,  in  a  printed 
letter  on  the  subject,  used  the  following  language: 

But  above  all,  do  not  force  those  whom  you  are  obliged  to  imprison 
before  trial,  be  they  innocent  or  guilty,  into  that  contaminating  society 
from  which,  after  they  are  found  to  be  guilty,  you  are  so  anxious  to  keep 
them.  Remember,  that  in  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  in  New  York,  more 
than  two  thousand  five  hundred  are  annually  committed,  of  whom  not 
one  fourth  are  found  to  be  guilty,  and  that  thus  you  have  introduced 
every  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  persons,  presumed  to  be  inno- 
cent, into  a  school  where  every  vice  and  every  crime  are  taught  by  the 
ablest  masters;  and  we  shut  our  eyes  to  this  enormous  evil,  and  incon- 
sistently go  on  preaching  the  necessity  of  seclusion  and  labor  and  indus- 
try after  conviction,  as  if  penitentiaries  were  the  only  places  in  which  the 
contamination  of  evil  society  were  to  be  dreaded.  Why  will  not  Penn- 
sylvania take  the  lead  in  perfecting  the  work  she  began,  and,  instead  of 
patchwork  legislation,  that  can  never  be  effectual,  establish  a  complete 
system,  in  which  all  the  different  but  mutually  dependent  subjects  of 
education,  pauperism,  penal  law,  and  prison  discipline  should  be  em- 
braced? I  am  preaching,  I  know,  to  the  converted,  when  I  urge  the 
consideration  of  these  subjects  upon  you;  but  mutual  exhortation  is  of 
service  even  between  those  who  think  alike,  and  there  is  no  cause  to  the 
success  of  which  I  would  more  willingly  devote  my  feeble  talents,  and  the 
exertions  of  my  life,  including,  as  it  does,  the  cause  of  religion,  humanity, 
and  social  order,  than  the  one  which  forms  the  subject  of  this  letter; 
there  is  none,  I  am  sure,  more  interesting  to  you,  and  therefore  I  will 
mix  with  it  no  other  than  that  of  the  high  esteem  with  which  I  am 
always,  my  dear  sir,  your  friend  and  humble  servant. 

The  Hon.  H.  W.  Desaussure,  a  member  of  the  judiciary  of  South 
Carolina,  in  his  views  upon  this  subject,  published  in  1834,  said: 

I  confess  my  own  mind  had  imbibed  some  prejudices  against  it  as 
a  cruel  punishment,  and  as  tending  to  drive  the  mind  to  madness. 
Experience  has  shown,  it  seems,  that  the  latter  effect  has  not  been  pro- 
duced, and  the  severity  of  solitary  confinement  is  entirely  obviated  by 
the  prisoner  being  allowed  to  labor  and  to  receive  instruction,  literary 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  103 

and  moral,  during  his  confinement.  These  seem  to  approximate  the 
system  as  near  to  perfection  as  any  human  plan  can  be  carried  into 
effect;  we  must  not,  however,  expect  too  much  from  it.  If  we  suppose 
this  treatment  will  reform  all  offenders,  we  shall  be  mistaken.  The 
strongest  motives  are  held  out  by  human  and  divine  laws  to  avoid  the 
commission  of  crimes,  yet  men  commit  them  daily. 

In  1829,  Mr.  George  W.  Smith  published  a  "Defense  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania System  of  Solitary  Confinement  of  Prisoners."  A  second  edition 
of  this  pamphlet  appeared  in  1833,  and  in  it  he  expressed  his  views  as 
follows : 

The  introduction  of  labor  as  an  essential  element  of  a  general  sys- 
tem of  prison  discipline  may  perhaps  be  justly  attributed  to  that  spirit 
of  economy  wrhich  characterizes  the  legislation  of  the  Dutch.  The  main- 
tenance of  any  class  in  idleness  has  never  been  intentionally  practiced 
by  this  industrious  and  thrifty  nation.  Hence  prisons  and  workhouses 
have  been  synonymous  terms  in  Holland  from  a  very  remote  period; 
attempts  to  promote  reformation  by  the  religious  instruction  of  the  pris- 
oners appear  to  have  been  sometimes  made  in  that  country,  with  partial 
success.  In  no  other  part  of  Europe  was  this  system  generally  pursued; 
in  few  countries  was  it  attempted  in  any  of  their  prisons;  and,  in  Great 
Britain,  it  had  not  even  entered  into  their  imaginations.  We  think  it 
highly  probable  that  our  illustrious  founder,  William  Penn,  observed 
during  his  travels  in  Holland  this  striking  feature  of  their  policy,  and 
resolved  to  adopt  the  measure,  when  he  projected  the  celebrated  code  of 
laws  in  England  (1682)  for  the  government  of  this  province.  In  the 
tenth  section  it  is  expressly  declared  that  "  all  prisons  shall  be  work- 
houses for  felons,  vagrants,  and  loose  and  idle  persons."  The  Great 
Law  (1682)  contains  a  similar  enactment — the  stock  on  which  all  our 
subsequent  legislation  has  been  grafted.  The  merit,  therefore,  of  origi- 
nality has  been  perhaps  erroneously  attributed  to  him.  It  is,  however, 
sufficient  praise  that  he  had  the  penetration  to  perceive  and  judgment 
to  approve  and  copy  these  useful  institutions  of  a  foreign  land.  His 
fame  as  a  legislator  for  originality  and  humanity  rests  on  a  sure  basis — 
the  abolition  of  the  punishment  of  death  for  all  crimes  but  murder 
(which  exception,  however,  is  known  to  have  been  contrary  to  his 
opinion).  From  the  year  1682  to  1717  labor  formed  an  invariable 
portion  of  the  punishments  of  those  sentenced  to  our  prisons;  at  this 
period  our  mild  Penal  Code  was  finally  repealed  by  Great  Britain,  which 
had  neither  the  humanity  to  adopt  it,  nor  the  magnanimity  to  permit 
its  continuance.  The  decline  of  this  system,  until  its  final  extinction 
in  practice,  some  years  before  the  Revolution,  proves  the  negligence  of 
our  ancestors.  At  some  future  time  we  may  resume  this  subject,  but 
our  present  design  will  not  permit  us  at  present  to  discuss  this  interest- 
ing portion  of  our  history. 

A  few  years  before  the  Revolution,  the  Penal  Code,  with  its  sanguinary 
enactments,  and  the  abuses  existing  in  prison  discipline,  began  to  attract 
the  attention  of  some  of  the  humane  citizens  of  Philadelphia;  they 
finally  formed  a  society  on  the  seventh  of  February,  1776,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting  their  benevolent  designs.  This  association,  which  was 
called  "The  Philadelphia  Society  for  Assisting  Distressed  Prisoners," 


104  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

after  a  brief  but  not  useless  existence  of  nineteen  months,  was  dissolved, 
or  rather  suspended,  by  the  capture  of  Philadelphia  in  1777.  The  public 
mind  had  been,  however,  prepared  for  the  amelioration  of  the  Penal  Code, 
partly  by  the  efforts  of  the  members  of  this  society;  and  the  first  Con- 
stitution of  the  State,  in  1776,  ordains  in  Chapter  II,  Section  28,  that 
"punishments  be  made  in  some  cases  less  sanguinary,"  and  in  Section 
39,  punishment  by  "  hard  labor "  in  the  prisons  is  substituted.  The 
law  remained  a  dead  letter  during  that  memorable  period;  and  it  was 
not  until  the  year  1786,  after  the  conclusion  of  peace,  that  the  sub- 
ject was  resumed,  and  hard  labor  enforced;  but  these  efforts  were  par- 
tial and  ineffectual.  In  the  following  year,  May  8,  1787,  some  of  the 
surviving  members  of  the  society  previously  mentioned,  and  others, 
reorganized  the  association  under  the  name  of  "  The  Philadelphia  Society 
for  Alleviating  the  Miseries  of  Public  Prisons."  This  useful  and  unas- 
suming body  is  the  parent  of  all  the  societies  which  have  been  since 
formed  for  similar  purposes  in  Europe  and  this  country.  It  has  perhaps 
effected  more  for  the  permanent  benefit  of  mankind  than  any  of  the 
meritorious  charities  of  this  city  of  benevolence.  It  has  the  enviable 
fame  of  being  the  first  to  reduce  the  humane  and  philosophic  theory  of 
preventive  and  reforming  punishments,  by  the  separate  confinement  and 
instruction  of  prisoners,  to  the  unerring  test  of  successful  experiment. 

Before  we  describe  the  actual  introduction  of  solitary  confinement,  as 
it  is  perhaps  erroneously  styled,  into  our  system  of  legislation,  it  may 
be  expedient  to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  history  of  this  interest- 
ing department  of  prison  discipline. 

As  a  means  of  more  effectual  seclusion  from  society  and  the  preven- 
tion of  further  injury  by  prisoners  during  the  period  of  incarceration, 
and  as  a  mode  of  inflicting  vindictive  punishment,  it  has  been  partially 
practiced  in  almost  every  nation  from  the  remotest  ages.  The  Egyptians 
were  accustomed  to  bury  alive  in  the  dark,  narrow,  and  secluded  cells 
of  some  of  their  vast  and  secure  edifices,  which  at  once  served  for  prisons 
and  for  tombs,  certain  offenders  against  their  laws.  These  unhappy  vic- 
tims, from  the  hour  when  they  were  immured  until  the  tedious  period 
when  death  released  them  from  their  lingering  misery,  never  beheld  the 
light  of  day,  never  inhaled  the  fresh  air  of  heaven,  and  never  again  beheld 
the  face  of  man,  nor  heard  the  consoling  accents  of  his  voice.  Among 
the  Romans,  among  the  nations  of  the  dark  ages,  among  the  modern 
Italian  republics,  and  in  yet  later  times,  solitary  confinement  has  been 
occasionally  practiced  as  one  of  the  most  dreadful  means  of  vindictive 
punishment — a  confinement  unmitigated,  absolute,  and  inhuman;  a 
confinement  at  the  mere  mention  of  which  the  philanthropist  shudders 
with  horror,  and  the  philosophic  reformer  turns  aside  with  disgust  and 
reprobation. 

The  earliest  cases  of  solitary  confinement,  as  an  intended  means  of 
reform,  may  be  discovered  in  the  records  of  ecclesiastical  history.  Never- 
theless, it  is  to  Catholic  Rome  that  we  owe  the  first  great  reform  in  pen- 
itentiary discipline.  The  prison  in  which  it  was  introduced  remained 
for  nearly  a  century  a  solitary  instance  of  successful  benevolence,  ex- 
tended no  further  in  Rome,  where  it  originated,  and  unimitated  in  Chris- 
tendom. The  Hospital  of  St.  Michael  (founded  in  Rome,  1718)  was  the 
first  "  house  of  refuge  "  in  Europe.  Mere  workhouses,  in  which  the  oper- 
atives were  felons,  had  indeed  been  established  in  other  countries;  and, 
although  in  a  few  of  them  instruction  had  been  attempted,  the  corrupt- 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  105 

ing  intercourse  which  was  permitted  day  and  night;  the  mixture  of  all 
ages,  ranks,  and  sexes  into  one  corrupting  leavened  mass  of  shameless 
iniquity,  rendered  the  consignment  of  a  juvenile  offender  to  these  abodes 
of  sin  a  certain  sentence  of  moral  death.  He  who  entered  their  gates 
a  novice  in  guilt,  accomplished  his  education  in  viliiany;  and  leaving 
character,  shame,  independence,  and  every  incentive  to  voluntary  indus- 
try and  virtue  within  their  walls,  departed  an  adept  in  crime,  ignorant 
only  of  his  duties,  prepared  to  practice  at  the  expense  of  society  those 
lessons  of  vice  which  its  folly  had  forced  on  his  acquaintance,  and 
almost  compelled  him  to  exercise  as  a  profession  when  discharged. 
Such  was  the  deplorable  condition  of  these  colleges  of  crime,  as  prisons 
have  been  too  correctly  denominated,  when  this  noble  institution  of  St. 
Michael  was  commenced;  the  foundations  were  laid  on  the  firm  basis 
of  humanity  and  sound  philosophy.  The  great  evils  of  idleness  were 
prevented  by  constant  labor  during  the  day;  classification  to  a  certain 
extent,  and  silence,  as  far  as  practicable  in  an  assembly,  were  enforced; 
and  separate  dormitories,  or  night  rooms,  for  each  prisoner  provided; 
appropriate  moral  sentiments  were  inscribed  on  conspicuous  tablets,  for 
the  continual  inspection  of  the  inmates;  and,  above  all,  religious  in- 
struction was  administered. 

The  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  convinced  by  the  arguments  of  the 
society,  in  the  year  1789-90  effected  a  radical  change  in  the  discipline 
of  the  prison.  The  convicts  were  compelled  to  labor;  the  sexes  were 
separated;  the  convicts  were  separated  from  the  untried  prisoners  and 
debtors;  suitable  food  and  clothing  were  provided  for  them;  the  intro- 
duction of  ardent  spirits  was  strictly  prohibited,  and  jail  fees  and  gar- 
nish utterly  abolished;  above  all,  religious  instruction,  and  as  far  as 
possible,  a  classification  of  the  prisoners,  were  introduced;  conversation 
Avas  also  restrained.  The  prisoners  at  that  time  not  being  numerous, 
these  arrangements  were  practicable  in  the  prison,  which  was,  however, 
far  too  limited  to  test  the  merits  of  the  system  of  improvements  which 
the  society  was  anxious  to  introduce.  The  Legislature  was  not  at  that 
time  prepared  to  appropriate  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  construct  a 
new  and  perfect  prison  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  merits  of  an  untried 
experiment,  however  flattering  might  be  the  prospects  of  success.  The 
friends  of  the  new  system  were  willing  to  test  its  merits  with  the  imper- 
fect apparatus  which  alone  was  at  their  disposal.  These  alterations,  in 
conjunction  with  some  others  of  a  minor  description,  would  alone  have 
produced  effects  highly  beneficial;  and  doubtless  a  portion  of  the 
reformation,  which  most  unquestionably  was  produced  by  the  new  sys- 
tem, is  attributable  to  them;  but  the  great  object  of  reform  was  mainly 
produced  by  the  celebrated  law  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  5,  1790,  by  which  separate  and  solitary  confinement  was 
first  introduced.  In  the  preamble  to  that  Act  it  is  declared  that  the 
previous  laws  for  the  punishment  of  criminals  "  had  failed  of  success, 
from  the  communication  with  each  other  not  being  sufficiently  restrained 
within  the  places  of  confinement,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  addition  of 
unremitted  solitude  to  laborious  employment,  as  far  as  it  can  be  effected, 
will  contribute  as  much  to  reform  as  to  deter."  In  the  eighth  section  it 
is  ordered  that  "  a  suitable  number  of  cells  be  constructed  in  the  yard 
of  the  jail  of  the  said  county,  each  of  which  cells  shall  be  six  feet  in 
width,  eight  feet  in  length,  and  nine  feet  in  height;  and  the  said  cells 
shall  be  separate  from  the  common  yard  by  a  wall  of  such  height  as, 


106  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

without  any  unnecessary  exclusion  of  air  and  light,  will  prevent  all 
external  communication,  for  the  purpose  of  confining  therein  the  more 
hardened  and  atrocious  offenders,"  viz.:  those  mentioned  in  this  and  a 
former  Act. 

In  section  tenth,  "  the  residue  of  the  said  jail  shall  be  appropriated  to 
the  purposes  of  confining  as  well  such  male  convicts  sentenced  to  hard 
labor  as  cannot  be  accommodated  in  the  said  cells,  as  female  convicts 
sentenced  in  like  manner,  persons  convicted  of  capital  offenses,  vagrants, 
and  disorderly  persons  committed  as  such,  and  persons  charged  with 
misdemeanors  only;  all  of  which  persons  are  hereby  required  to  be  kept 
separate  and  apart  from  each  other  as  much  as  the  convenience  of  the 
building  will  admit,"  etc.  In  section  thirteenth,  "  during  which  labor 
the  said  offenders  shall  be  kept  separate  and  apart  from  each  other,  if 
the  nature  of  their  several  employments  will  admit  thereof;  and  where  the 
nature  of  such  employment  requires  two  or  more  to  work  together,  the 
Keeper  of  the  said  jail,  or  one  of  his  deputies,  shall,  if  possible,  be  con- 
stantly present."  In  section  twenty-first,  for  certain  offenses  committed 
within  the  prison,  the  Jailer  is  authorized  to  confine  prisoners  violating 
the  discipline  of  the  prison  in  the  dark  cells,  on  bread  and  water,  for  a 
short  time  only;  but  in  the  county  prisons,  the  period  of  inflicting  this 
punishment  is  unlimited. 

In  1829  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  enacted  several  reforms  in 
the  Penal  Code  of  that  State,  and  also  prescribed  the  following  rules  for 
the  government  of  the  penitentiary: 

SECTION  8.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  following  rules  and  regulations  for  the  better  ordering  and  government 
of  said  penitentiaries  shall  be  and  continue  in  force  until  altered  by  the 
Legislature,  or  in  the  manner  hereinafter  stated. 

ARTICLE  I. 
Of  the  Inspectors  and  their  Duties. 

They  shall  at  their  first  meeting,  and  annually  thereafter,  appoint  out 
of  their  number  a  President,  Secretary,  and  Treasurer,  and  keep  regular 
minutes  of  their  proceedings;  they  shall  hold  stated  meetings  once  a 
month,  and  adjourned  and  special  meetings  whenever  necessary;  the 
Treasurer  shall  give  bond  with  sufficient  surety  in  such  amount  as  the 
Inspectors  may  fix  and  determine,  and  shall  receive  and  disburse  all 
moneys  belonging  to  the  prison,  according  to  the  order  of  the  Board; 
they  shall  semi-annually  appoint  a  Warden,  a  Physician,  and  Clerk  for 
the  institution,  and  shall  fix  their  salaries  as  wrell  as  those  of  the  Under  - 
keepers  or  Overseers,  and  the  persons  employed  about  the  prison;  they 
shall  serve  without  any  pecuniary  compensation,  and  shall.be  exempted 
from  military  duty,  from  serving  on  juries  and  arbitrations,  or  as  guard- 
ians of  the  poor;  they  shall  visit  the  penitentiary  at  least  twice  in  every 
week,  to  see  that  the  duties  of  the  several  officers  and  attendants  are 
performed;  to  prevent  all  oppression,  peculation,  or  other  abuse  or  mis- 
management of  the  said  institutions;  they  shall  have  power,  if  they  on 
conference  find  it  necessary,  to  make  such  rules  for  the  internal  govern- 
ment of  said  prison,  as  may  not  be  inconsistent  with  the  principles  of 
solitary  confinement  as  set  forth  and  declared  by  this  Act. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  107 

They  shall  attend  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  prisoners  and 
procure  a  suitable  person  for  this  object,  who  shall  be  the  religious 
instructor  of  the  prisoners;  provided,  their  services  shall  be  gratuitous. 

They  shall  direct  the  manner  in  which  all  raw  materials  to  be  manu- 
factured by  the  convicts  in  said  prisons,  and  the  provisions  and  other 
supplies  for  the  prisons  shall  be  purchased,  and  also  the  sale  of  all  arti- 
cles manufactured  in  said  prisons. 

They  shall  cause  accurate  accounts  to  be  kept  by  the  Clerk,  of  all 
expenditures  and  receipts  in  the  penitentiaries,  which  accounts,  respect- 
ively, shall  be  annually  examined  and  settled  by  the  Auditors  of  the 
county  of  Allegheny,  and  of  the  county  of  Philadelphia. 

They  shall  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  January  in  every  year  make 
a  report  in  writing  to  the  Legislature,  of  the  state  of  the  penitentiaries. 
The  report  shall  contain  the  number  of  prisoners  in  confinement,  their 
age,  sex,  place  of  nativity,  time  of  commitment,  term  of  imprisonment 
during  the  preceding  year,  noticing  also  those  who  have  escaped  or  died, 
or  who  were  pardoned  or  discharged,  designating  the  offense  for  which 
the  commitment  was  made,  and  whether  for  a  first  or  repeated  offense, 
and  when  and  in  what  Court,  or  by  whose  order;  and  in  such  return  the 
Inspectors  shall  make  such  observations  as  to  the  efficiency  of  the  sys- 
tem of  solitary  confinement  as  may  be  the  result  of  their  experience, 
and  give  such  information  as  they  may  deem  expedient  for  making  the 
said  institution  effectual  in  the  punishment  and  reformation  of  offenders. 

They  shall  have  power  to  examine  any  person  upon  oath  or  affirma- 
tion relative  to  any  abuse  in  the  said  places  of  confinement,  or  matter 
within  the  purview  of  their  duties;  they  shall  direct  in  what  manner 
the  rations  for  the  subsistence  of  the  prisoners  shall  be  composed,  in 
conformity  with  the  general  directions  on  that  subject  hereinafter  con- 
tained. 

The  Inspectors  in  their  weekly  visits  to  the  several  places  of  confine- 
ment shall  speak  to  each  person  confined  therein  out  of  the  presence  of 
any  of  the  persons  employed  therein;  shall' listen  to  any  complaints 
that  may  be  made  of  oppression  or  ill  conduct  of  the  persons  so  employed, 
examine  into  the  truth  thereof,  and  proceed  therein  when  the  complaint 
is  well  founded;  and  on  such  visits  they  shall  have  the  calendar  of  the 
prisoners  furnished  to  them  by  the  Warden,  and  see  by  actual  inspec- 
tion whether  all  the  prisoners  named  in  the  said  calendar  are  found  in 
the  said  prison,  in  the  situation  in  which  by  the  said  calendar  they  are 
declared  to  be. 

A  majority  of  the  said  Inspectors  shall  constitute  a  Board,  and  may 
do  any  of  the  acts  required  of  the  said  Inspectors;  two  of  the  Inspectors 
shall  be  a  quorum  for  the  weekly  visitations  hereby  directed  to  be  made. 

The  Warden  shall  not,  nor  shall  any  Inspector,  without  the  direction 
of  a  majority  of  the  Inspectors,  sell  any  article  for  the  use  of  the  said 
penitentiaries,  or  either  of  them,  or  of  the  persons  confined  therein  dur- 
ing their  confinement,  nor  derive  any  emolument  from  such  purchase  or 
sale,  nor  shall  he,  or  they,  or  either  of  them,  receive,  under  any  pretense 
whatever  from  either  of  the  said  prisoners,  or  from  any  one  in  his  behalf, 
any  sum  of  money,  emolument,  or  reward  whatever,  or  any  article  of  value, 
as  a  gratuity  or  gift,  under  the  penalty  of  five  hundred  dollars  fine,  to 
be  recovered'  in  the  name  of  the  Commonwealth,  by  an  action  of  debt,  in 
any  Court  of  record  thereof,  having  jurisdiction  of  sums  of  that  amount. 


108  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

ARTICLE  II. 
Of  the  Duties  of  the   Warden. 

The  Warden  shall  reside  in  the  penitentiary;  he  shall  visit  every  cell 
and  apartment,  and  see  every  prisoner  under  his  care  at  least  once  in 
every  day;  he  shall  keep  a  journal,  in  which  shall  be  regularly  entered 
the  reception,  discharge,  death,  pardon,  or  escape  of  any  prisoner,  and 
also  the  complaints  that  are  made,  and  the  punishments  that  are  inflicted 
for  the  breach  of  prison  discipline,  as  they  occur;  the  visits  of  the  In- 
spector and  the  Physician,  and  all  other  occurrences  of  note  that  concern 
the  state  of  the  prison,  except  the  receipts  and  expenditures,  the  account 
of  which  is  to  be  kept  in  the  manner  hereinafter  directed. 

The  Warden  shall  appoint  the  Underkeepers,  who  shall  be  called  Over- 
seers, and  all  necessary  servants,  and  dismiss  them  whenever  he  thinks 
proper,  or  the  Board  of  Inspectors  direct  him  so  to  do. 

He  shall  report  all  infractions  of  the  rules  to  the  Inspectors,  and  with 
the  approbation  of  one  of  them,  may  punish  the  offender,  in  such  man- 
ner as  shall  be  directed  in  the  rules  to  be  enacted  by  the  Inspectors,  con- 
cerning the  treatment  of  prisoners. 

He  shall  not  absent  himself  from  the  penitentiary  for  a  night  without 
permission  in  writing  from  two  of  the  Inspectors. 

He  shall  not  be  present  when  the  Inspectors  make  their  stated  visits 
to  the  prisoners  under  his  care,  unless  thereto  required  by  the  Inspectors. 

ARTICLE  III. 
Of  the  Duty  of  the  Overseers. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Overseers  to  inspect  the  condition  of  each 
prisoner  at  least  three  times  in  every  day,  to  see  that  his  meals  are  regu- 
larly delivered,  according  to  the  prison  allowance,  and  to  superintend 
the  work  of  the  prisoners. 

They  shall  give  immediate  notice  to  the  Warden  or  Physician  when- 
ever any  convict  shall  complain  of  such  illness  as  to  require  medical 
aid. 

Each  Overseer  shall  have  a  certain  number  of  prisoners  assigned  to 
his  care. 

He  shall  make  a  daily  report  to  the  Warden  of  the  health  and  con- 
duct of  the  prisoners,  and  a  like  report  to  the  Inspectors  when  required. 

No  Overseer  shall  be  present  when  the  Warden  or  the  Inspectors  visit 
the  prisoners  under  his  particular  care,  unless  thereto  required  by  the 
Warden  or  Inspectors. 

The  Overseers  shall  obey  all  legal  orders  given  by  the  Warden,  and 
all  rules  established  by  the  Board  of  Inspectors,  for  the  government  of 
the  prison. 

All  orders  to  the  Overseers  must  be  given  through  or  by  the  Warden. 

The  Overseers  shall  not  absent  themselves  from  the  prison  without 
permission  from  the  Warden. 

No  Overseer  shall  receive  from  any  one  confined  in  the  penitentiary, 
or  from  any  one  in  behalf  of  such  prisoner,  any  emolument  or  reward 
whatever,  or  the  promise  of  any,  either  for  services  or  supplies,  or  as  a 
gratuity,  under  the  penalty  of  one  hundred  dollars  and  imprisonment 
for  thirty  days  in  the  county  jail;  and  when  any  breach  of  this  article 
shall  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Warden  or  Inspectors,  the  Overseer 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  109 

or  Overseers  so  offending  shall  be  immediately  discharged  from  his 
office,  and  prosecuted  for  the  said  offense  according  to  law. 

No  Overseer  who  shall  have  been  discharged  for  any  offense  whatever 
shall  again  be  employed. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Of  the  Duties  of  the  Physician. 

The  Physician  shall  visit  every  prisoner  in  the  prison  twice  in  every 
week,  and  oftener,  if  the  state  of  their  health  require  it,  and  shall  report 
once  in  every  month  to  the  Inspectors. 

He  shall  attend  immediately  on  notice  from  the  Warden  that  any 
person  is  sick. 

He  shall  examine  every  prisoner  that  shall  be  brought  into  the  peni- 
tentiary, before  he  shall  be  confined  in  his  cell. 

Whenever,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Physician,  any  convict  in  the  peni- 
tentiary is  so  ill  as  to  require  removal,  the  Warden  shall  direct  such 
removal  to  the  infirmary  of  the  institution,  and  the  prisoner  shall  be 
kept  in  the  infirmary  until  the  Physican  shall  certify  that  he  may  be 
removed  without  injury  to  his  health,  and  he  shall  then  be  removed  to 
his  cell. 

He  shall  visit  the  patients  in  the  infirmary  at  least  once  in  every  day, 
and  he  shall  give  such  directions  for  the  health  and  cleanliness  of  the 
prisoners,  and,  when  necessary,  as  to  the  alteration  of  their  diet,  as  he 
may  deem  expedient,  which  the  Warden  shall  have  executed;  provided, 
they  shall  not  be  contrary  to  the  provisions  of  this  law,  nor  inconsistent 
with  the  safe  custody  of  the  said  prisoners;  and  the  directions  he  may 
give,  whether  complied  with  or  not,  shall  be  entered  in  the  journal  of 
the  Warden,  and  in  his  own. 

The  Physician  shall  inquire  into  the  mental  as  well  as  the  bodily 
state  of  every  prisoner,  and  when  he  shall  have  reason  to  believe  that 
the  mind  or  body  is  materially  affected  by  the  discipline,  treatment,  or 
diet,  he  shall  inform  the  Warden  thereof,  and  shall  enter  his  observa- 
tion in  the  journal  hereinafter  directed  to  be  kept,  which  shall  be  an 
authority  for  the  Warden  for  altering  the  discipline,  treatment,  or  diet 
of  any  prisoner,  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  Inspectors,  who  shall 
inquire  into  the  case,  and  make  orders  accordingly. 

The  Physician  shall  keep  a  journal,  in  which,  opposite  to  the  name 
of  each  prisoner,  shall  be  entered  the  state  of  his  health,  and  if  sick, 
whether  in  the  infirmary  or  not,  together  with  such  remarks  as  he  may 
deem  important,  which  journal  shall  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the 
Warden  and  the  Inspectors,  and  the  same,  together  with  the  return  pro- 
vided for  in  the  first  article  in  this  section,  shall  be  laid  before  the 
Inspectors  once  in  every  month,  or  oftener  if  called  for. 

The  prisoners  under  the  care  of  the  Physician  shall  be  allowed  such 
diet  as  he  shall  direct. 

No  prisoner  shall  be  discharged  while  laboring  under  a  dangerous 
disease,  although  entitled  to  his  discharge,  unless  by  his  own  desire. 

The  infirmary  shall  have  a  suitable  partition  between  every  bed,  and 
no  two  patients  shall  occupy  the  same  bed;  and  the  Physician  and  his 
attendants  shall  take  every  precaution  in  their  power  to  prevent  all 
intercourse  betAveen  the  convicts  while  in  the  infirmary. 


110  KEFOEMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Of  the  Treatment  of  the  Prisoners  in  the  Penitentiary.  —  Of  the  Recep- 

tion of  the  Convicts. 

Every  convict  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  shall, 
immediately  after  the  sentence  shall  have  been  finally  pronounced,  be 
conveyed  by  the  Sheriff  of  the  county  in  which  he  was  condemned  to 
the  penitentiary. 

On  the  arrival  of  a  convict,  immediate  notice  shall  be  given  to  the 
Physician,  who  shall  examine  the  state  of  his  or  her  health;  he  or  she 
shall  then  be  stripped  of  his  or  her  clothes,  and  clothed  in  the  uniform 
of  the  prison,  in  the  manner  hereinafter  provided,  being  first  bathed 
and  cleaned. 

He  or  she  shall  then  be  examined  by  the  Clerk  and  the  Warden,  in 
the  presence  of  as  many  of  the  Overseers  as  can  conveniently  attend,  in 
order  to  their  becoming  acquainted  with  his  or  her  person  and  counte- 
nance; and  his  or  her  name,  height,  apparent  and  alleged  age,  place  of 
nativity,  trade,  complexion,  color  of  hair  and  eyes,  and  length  of  his  or 
her  feet,  to  be  accurately  measured,  shall  be  entered  in  a  book  provided 
for  that  purpose,  together  with  such  other  natural  or  accidental  marks,  or 
peculiarity  of  feature  or  appearance,  as  may  serve  to  identify  him  or 
her,  and  if  the  convict  can  write,  his  or  her  signature  shall  be  written 
under  the  said  description  of  his  or  her  person. 

All  the  effects  on  the  person  of  the  convict,  as  well  as  his  or  her  clothes, 
shall  be  taken  from  him  or  her,  and  specially  mentioned  and  preserved 
under  the  care  of  the  Warden,  to  be  restored  to  him  or  her  on  his  or  her 
discharge. 

If  the  convict  is  not  in  such  ill  health  as  to  require  being  sent  to  the 
infirmary,  he  or  she  shall  then  be  conducted  to  the  cell  assigned  to  him  or 
her,  numerically  designated,  by  which  he  or  she  shall  thereafter  be  known 
during  his  or  her  confinement. 

ARTICLE  VI. 
Of  the  Clothing  and  Diet  of  the  Convicts. 

The  uniform  of  the  prison  for  males  shall  be  a  jacket  and  trousers  of 
-cloth  or  other  warm  stuff  for  the  winter,  and  lighter  materials  for  the 
summer;  the  form  and  color  shall  be  determined  by  the  Inspectors,  and 
two  changes  of  linen  shall  be  furnished  to  each  prisoner  every  week. 

No  prisoner  is  to  receive  anything  but  the  prison  allowance. 

No  tobacco  in  any  form  shall  be  used  by  the  convicts,  and  any  one 
who  shall  supply  them  with  it,  or  with  wine  or  spirituous  or  intoxicating 
fermented  liquor,  unless  by  order  of  the  Physician,  shall  be  fined  ten 
dollars,  and  if  an  officer,  be  dismissed. 


Of  Visitors. 

No  person  who  is  not  an  official  visitor  of  the  prisons,  or  who  has  not 
.a  written  permission  according  to  such  rules  as  the  Inspectors  may  adopt 
as  aforesaid,  shall  be  allowed  to  visit  the  same;  the  official  visitors  are 
the  Governor,  the  Speaker  and  members  of  the  Senate,  the  Speaker  and 


KEFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  Ill 

members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  Secretary  of  the  Common- 
wealth, the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Attorney-General  and  his 
Deputies,  the  President  and  Associate  Judges  of  all  the  Courts  in  the 
State,  the  Mayor  and  Recorder  of  the  Cities  of  Philadelphia,  Lancaster, 
and  Pittsburg,  Commissioners  and  Sheriffs  of  the  several  counties,  and 
the  Acting  Committee  of  the  Philadelphia  Society  for  the  Alleviation  of 
the  Miseries  of  Public  Prisons. 

None  but  the  official  visitors  can  have  any  communication  with  the 
convicts,  nor  shall  any  visitor  whatever  be  permitted  to  deliver  to  or 
receive  from  any  of  the  convicts  any  letter  or  message  whatever,  or  to 
supply  them  with  any  article  of  any  kind,  under  the  penalty  of  one 
hundred  dollars  fine,  to  be  recovered  as  hereinbefore  provided  for  other 
fines  imposed  by  this  Act. 

Any  visitor  who  shall  discover  any  abuse,  infraction  of  law,  or 
oppression,  shall  immediately  make  the  same  known  to  the  Board  of 
Inspectors  of  the  Commonwealth,  if  the  Inspectors  or  either  of  them  are 
implicated. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

Of  the  Discharge  of  the  Convicts. 

Whenever  a  convict  shall  be  discharged  by  the  expiration  of  the  term 
for  which  he  or  she  was  condemned,  or  by  pardon,  he  or  she  shall  take 
oft'  the  prison  uniform,  and  have  the  clothes  which  he  or  she  brought  to 
the  prison  restored  to  him  or  her,  together  with  the  other  property,  if 
any.  that  was  taken  from  him  or  her  on  his  or  her  commitment,  that 
has  not  been  otherwise  disposed  of. 

When  a  prisoner  is  to  be  discharged,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  War- 
den to  obtain  from  him  or  her,  as  far  as  is  practicable,  his  or  her  former 
history;  what  means  of  literary,  moral,  or  religious  instruction  he  or 
she  enjoyed;  what  early  temptations  to  crime,  by  wicked  associations  or 
otherwise,  he  or  she  was  exposed  to;  his  or  her  general  habits,  predom- 
inant passions,  and  prevailing  vices,  and  in  what  part  of  the  country  he 
or  she  purposes  to  fix  his  or  her  residence;  all  of  which  shall  be  entered 
by  the  Clerk  in  a  book  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  together  with  his  or 
her  name,  age,  and  time  of  discharge. 

If  the  Inspectors  and  Warden  have  been  satisfied  with  the  morality, 
industry,  and  order  of  his  conduct,  they  shall  give  him  a  certificate  to 
that  effect,  and  shall  furnish  the  discharged  convict  with  four  dollars,  to 
be  paid  by  the  State,  whereby  the  temptation  immediately  to  commit 
offenses  against  society,  before  employment  can  be  obtained,  may  be  ob- 
viated. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

Duties  of  the  Religious  Instructor. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Instructor  to  attend  to  the  moral  and 
religious  instruction  of  the  convicts,  in  such  manner  as  to  make  their 
confinement,  as  far  as  possible,  the  means  of  their  reformation,  so  that 
when  restored  to  their  liberty  they  may  prove  honest,  industrious,  and 
useful  members  of  society;  and  the  Inspectors  and  officers  are  enjoined 
to  give  every  facility  to  the  Instructor,  in  such  measures  as  he  may 
think  necessary  to  produce  so  desirable  a  result,  not  inconsistent  with 
the  rules  and  discipline  of  the  prison. 


112  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

SEC.  9.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  expenses  of  maintaining*  and  keeping  the  convicts  in  the  said 
Eastern  and  Western  Penitentiaries  shall  be  borne  by  the  respective 
counties  in  which  they  shall  be  convicted,  and  the  said  expense  shall 
be  paid  to  the  said  Inspectors  by  orders,  to  be  drawn  by  them  on  the 
Treasurers  of  the  said  counties,  who  shall  accept  and  pay  the  same; 
provided,  that  the  said  orders  shall  not  be  presented  to  the  said  Treas- 
urers before  the  first  Monday  of  May  in  each  and  every  year;  and  pro- 
vided, also,  that  the  said  Inspectors  shall  annually,  on  or  before  the 
first  Monday  of  February,  transmit,  by  the  public  mail,  to  the  Com- 
missioners of  such  of  the  counties  as  may  have  become  indebted  for 
convicts  confined  in  said  penitentiaries,  an  account  of  the  expense  of 
keeping  and  maintaining  said  convicts,  which  account  shall  be  signed 
by  the  said  Inspectors,  and  be  sworn  or  affirmed  to  by  them,  and  attested 
by  the  Clerk;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  Commissioners,  imme- 
diately on  receipt  of  said  accounts,  to  give  notice  to  the  Treasurers  of  the 
respective  counties  of  the  amount  of  said  accounts,  with  instructions 
to  collect  and  retain  moneys  for  the  payment  of  said  orders  when  pre- 
sented; and  all  salaries  of  the  officers  of  the  said  penitentiaries  shall  be 
paid  by  the  State,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Inspectors  to  transmit 
to  the  Auditor-General  the  names  of  the  persons  by  them  appointed, 
and  the  salaries  agreed  to  be  paid  to  each  of  them  under  the  provisions 
of  this  Act,  which  sums  shall  be  paid  in  the  usual  manner,  by  warrants 
drawn  by  the  Governor  upon  the  Treasurer  oi  the  Commonwealth. 

SEC.  10.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  several  Acts  of  Assembly  of  this  Commonwealth,  and  such  parts 
thereof,  so  far  as  the  same  are  altered  or  supplied  by  this  Act,  be  and 
the  same  are  hereby  repealed,  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  July  next; 
provided,  that  the  repeal  thereof  shall  in  no  wise  affect  any  indictment, 
trial,  sentence,  or  punishment  of  any  of  the  said  herein  mentioned  crimes 
or  offenses  which  have  been  or  shall  be  committed  before  this  Act  shall 
come  into  operation. 

SEC.  11.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  Governor  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  required  to  issue  his 
warrant  to  the  State  Treasurer,  in  favor  of  the  Inspectors  of  the  Western 
Penitentiary,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  to  be  applied  by 
said  Inspectors  to  such  alteration  of  the  interior  of  said  penitentiary,  as 
in  their  opinion  will  best  adapt  the  same  to  the  provisions  of  this  Act. 

SEC.  12.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That, 
for  the  purpose  of  finishing  the  Eastern  Penitentiary,  introducing  a 
supply  of  water  from  Fairmount  Waterworks,  and  procuring  the  neces- 
sary furniture  and  fixtures  for  the  accommodation  and  reception  of  the 
prisoners,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  be  and  it  is  hereby  appro- 
priated for  the  said  purposes,  and  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  super- 
intend the  erection  of  the  State  Penitentiary  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania  are  directed  to  carry  the  same  into  effect,  and  to  draw 
the  sum  hereby  authorized  from  the  State  Treasury,  in  the  same  manner 
as  is  by  law  provided. 

SEC.  13.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  Board  of  Inspectors  of  the  Eastern  Penitentiary,  who  shall  be  ap- 
pointed as  is  hereinbefore  provided,  be  and  they  hereby  are  authorized 

*  Repealed— Act  of  1833. 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  113 

to  draw  from  the  State  Treasury,  upon  warrants  drawn  in  the  usual 
manner,  any  sums  of  money  which  shall  not  together  amount  to  more 
than  one  thousand  dollars,  to  enable  said  Inspectors  to  support  and 
employ  the  prisoners  who  may  be  committed  to  said  penitentiary, 
until  so  much  of  such  sums  of  money  as  may  become  payable  by  the 
several  counties  from  which  convicts  may  be  removed  to  said  prison 
shall  be  received  by  said  Board,  as  will  enable  them  to  manage  the  affairs 
of  said  prison  without  such  aid,  which  sum  so  advanced  by  the  State 
shall  be  repaid  to  the  State  Treasury  by  the  said  Board  as  soon  as  the 
funds  of  said  prison  will  enable  said  Board  to  make  such  repayment. 

A  description  of  this  prison  can  best  be  given  in  the  words  of  those 
who  at  different  times  have  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  it.  In  1823 
the  following  description  was  given  of  this  prison  and  its  condition  at 
that  time: 

The  Eastern  State  Penitentiary  is  situated  on  one  of  the  most  elevated, 
airy,  and  healthy  sites  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  Large  sums  have 
been  expended  for  the  purpose  of  giving  an  unusual  degree  of  solidity 
and  durability  to  every  part  of  this  immense  structure,  which  is  the  most 
extensive  building  in  the  United  States.  The  ground  occupied  by  it  con- 
tains about  ten  acres.  The  material  with  which  the  edifices  are  built  is 
a  grayish  granite,  or  gneiss,  employed  in  large  masses;  every  room  is 
vaulted  and  fire-proof.  The  design  and  execution  impart  a  grave,  severe, 
and  awful  character  to  the  external  aspect  of  this  building.  The  effect 
which  it  produces  on  the  imagination  of  every  passing  spectator  is  pecul- 
iarly impressive,  solemn,  and  instructive.  The  architecture  is  in  keep- 
ing with  the  design.  The  broad  masses,  the  small  and  well  proportioned 
apertures,  the  continuity  of  lines,  and  the  bold  and  expressive  simplicity 
which  characterize  the  features  of  the  facade,  are  most  happily  and  judi- 
ciously combined.  The  originality  of  the  plan,  the  excellent  arrange- 
ment and  execution  of  the  details,  display  the  taste  and  ingenuity  of  the 
architect,  to  whom  our  country  is  indebted  for  some  of  her  noblest  edi- 
fices-^-our  fellow  citizen,  Mr.  John  Haviland. 

This  penitentiary  is  the  only  edifice  in  this  country  which  is  calculated 
to  convey  to  our  citizens  the  external  appearance  of  those  magnificent 
and  picturesq.ue  castles  of  the  middle  ages,  wThich  contribute  so  eminently 
to  embellish  the  scenery  of  Europe. 

A  reference  to  the  accompanying  view  and  plan  will  render  only  a 
brief  description  necessary.  The  front  of  this  building  is  composed  of 
large  blocks  of  hewn  and  squared  granite;  the  walls  are  twelve  feet  thick 
at  the  base,  and  diminish  to  the  top,  where  they  are  two  and  three 
quarters  feet  in  thickness.  A  wall  of  thirty  feet  in  height  above  the 
interior  platform,  incloses  an  area  six  hundred  and  forty  feet  square;  at 
each  angle  of  the  wall  is  a  tower  for  the  purpose  of  overlooking  the 
establishment;  three  other  towers,  which  will  be  presently  described,  are 
situated  near  the  gate  of  entrance.  The  facade  or  principal  front,  which 
is  represented  in  the  accompanying  view,  is  six  hundred  and  seventy  feet 
in  length,  and  reposes  on  a  terrace,  which,  from  the  inequalities  of  the 
ground,  varies  from  three  to  nine  feet  in  height;  the  basement  or  belting 
course,  which  is  ten  feet  high,  is  scarped,  and  extends  uniformly  the 
whole  length.  The  central  building  is  two  hundred  feet  in  length,  con- 
sists of  two  projecting  massive  square  towers,  fifty  feet  high,  crowned  by 
8n 


114  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

projecting  embattled  parapets,  supported  by  pointed  arches  resting  on 
corbels  or  brackets.  The  pointed  mullioned  windows  in  these  towers 
contribute  in  a  high  degree  to  their  picturesque  effect.  The  curtain 
between  the  towers  is  forty-one  feet  high,  and  is  finished  with  a  parapet 
and  embrasures.  The  pointed  windows  in  it  are  very  lofty  and  narrow. 
The  great  gateway  in  the  center  is  a  very  conspicuous  feature;  it  is  twenty- 
seven  feet  high  and  fifteen  feet  wide,  and  is  filled  by  a  massive  wrought 
iron  portcullis,  and  double  oaken  gates  studded  with  projecting  iron 
rivets,  the  whole  weighing  several  tons;  nevertheless  they  can  be  opened 
with  the  greatest  facility.  On  each  side  of  this  entrance  (which  is  the 
most  imposing  in  the  United  States)  are  enormous  solid  buttresses 
diminishing  in  offsets  and  terminating  in  pinnacles.  A  lofty  octangular 
tower,  eighty  feet  high,  containing  an  alarm  bell  and  clock,  surmounts 
this  entrance,  and  forms  a  picturesque  proportional  center.  On  each 
side  of  this  main  building  (which  contains  the  apartments  of  the  War- 
den, Keepers,  domestics,  etc.)  are  screen  wing  walls,  which  appear  to 
constitute  portions  of  the  main  edifice;  they  are  pierced  with  small 
blank-pointed  windows,  and  are  surmounted  by  a  parapet;  at  their  ex- 
tremities are  high  octangular  towers  terminating  in  parapets  pierced  by 
embrasures.  In  the  center  of  the  great  court-yard  is  an  observatory, 
whence  long  corridors,  eight  in  number,  radiate;  (three  only  of  these 
corridors,  etc.,  are  at  present  finished).  On  each  side  of  these  corridors 
the  cells  are  situated,  each  at  right  angles  to  them,  and  communicating 
with  them  only  by  small  openings  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  pris- 
oner with  food,  etc.r  and  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  his  movements 
without  attracting  his  attention;  other  apertures,  for  the  admission  of 
cool  or  heated  air,  and  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation,  are  provided. 

Among  the  advocates  of  this  system  in  Europe,  we  may  refer  to  How- 
ard, Paul,  Eden,  Mansfield,  Blackstone,  Paley,  Liancourt,  Villerme,  etc., 
and  in  this  country,  to  the  venerable  Bishop  White,  whose  whole  life 
has  been  but  one  prolonged  illustration  of  that  religion  which  he  pro- 
fesses, Dr.  Rush,  Bradford,  Vaux,  Wood,  Sergeant,  Livingston,  and  many 
of  our  most  eminent  citizens.  The  intrinsic  and  obvious  excellence  of 
the  plan  afforded  a  powerful  argument  for  its  adoption  upwards  of*  forty 
years  since.  The  partial  experience  of  its  merits  has  been  beneficially 
experienced  in  our  State  and  other  parts  of  the  Union,  notwithstanding 
the  numerous  disadvantages  which  have  heretofore  attended  the  trial. 
The  only  failures  which  have  occurred  in  other  States  are  unquestion- 
ably attributable  to  the  absurd  and  culpable  manner  in  which  the  pro- 
cess has  sometimes  been  conducted.  The  experience  of  several  of  the 
European  States,  as  well  as  of  our  own  Commonwealth,  incontestably 
proves  that  this  system  of  prison  discipline  is  the  most  efficient  which 
the  wisdom  of  philanthropists  has  heretofore  devised;  that,  when  admin- 
istered in  a  proper  manner,  the  reformation  of  the  great  majority  of 
criminals  is  practicable;  that  no  injury  to  the  health,  mental  or  bodily, 
of  the  convicts  occur;  that  the  severity  is  sufficient,  not  only  to  operate 
on  the  inmates  of  the  prison,  but  to  deter  others  by  the  example  of  their 
sufferings;  and,  finally,  that  as  a  means  of  preventing  crimes  it  is  in 
fact  the  most  economical.  A  superficial  view  of  this  subject  has  too 
frequently  led  to  erroneous  conclusions  in  some  of  our  sister  States. 

As  "the  Pennsylvania  system  of  prison  discipline"  effects,  not  indeed 
the  extirpation,  but  the  prevention  and  diminution  of  crime,  to  an 
unknown  and  unrivaled  extent,  the  dictates  of  mere  economy,  of  sordid 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  llo 

self-interest,  as  well  as  of  patriotism,  humanity,  and  general  religion, 
cry  aloud  for  its  general  adoption.  The  prime  cost  of  an  efficient  labor- 
saving  machine  is  never  considered  by  the  intelligent  and  wealthy  cap- 
italist as  a  wasteful  expenditure,  but  as  a  productive  investment.  This 
penitentiary  will  be,  strictly  speaking,  an  apparatus  for  the  expeditious, 
certain,  and  economical  eradication  of  vice,  and  the  production  of  reforma- 
tion. The  State  of  Pennsylvania  has  exhibited  at  once  her  wisdom, 
philanthropy,  and  munificence,  by  the  erection  of  this  immense  and 
expensive  structure,  which,  in  connection  with  her  other  noble  institu- 
tions, will  largely  contribute  to  the  amelioration  and  protection  of  her 
population. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  front  building  of  the  penitentiary  was  laid  on 
the  twenty-second  day  of  May,  1823,  in  the  presence  of  the  Commis- 
sioners, architect,  Superintendent,  and  workmen.  On  this  interesting 
occasion,  Mr.  Roberts  Vaux  said  that  he  much  regretted  the  unavoidable 
absence  of  the  President  of  the  Board,  in  whose  place  he  had  just  then 
been  unexpectedly  desired  to  say  a  few  words  concerning  the  purpose  for 
which  the  Commissioners  were  assembled. 

He  remarked  that  the  occasion  was  calculated  to  awaken  reflections 
at  once  painful  and  gratifying.  Painful,  because  such  was  the  erring 
character  of  man,  so  ungovernable  were  his  passions,  and  so  numerous 
his  propensities  to  evil,  that  it  was  necessary  society  should  provide 
means  for  the  punishment  of  offenders  against  its  laws.  Gratifying, 
because  a  correct  view  of  human  nature,  coupled  with  the  indispensable 
exercise  of  Christian  benevolence,  had  led  to  the  melioration  of  punish- 
ments. Justice  was  now  mixed  with  mercy,  and  whilst  the  community 
designed  to  teach  offenders  that  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard,  it 
wisely  and  compassionately  sought  to  secure  and  reform  the  criminal 
by  the  most  strict  solitary  confinement.  The  penitentiary  now  to  be 
erected  was  designed  to  accomplish  these  important  ends,  and  when  it 
shall  be  completed  it  will  afford  the  first  opportunity  of  putting  into 
efficient  practice  the  Penal  Code  of  this  State.  Mr.  Vaux  congratulated 
his  fellow  citizens  of  Pennsylvania,  because  their  legislators  were  the 
first  (almost  forty  years  ago)  to  abolish  those  cruel  and  vindictive  pen- 
alties which  are  in  use  in  the  European  countries  from  which  we  had 
descended.  The  pillory,  the  whipping-post,  and  the  chain  were  not  cal- 
culated to  prevent  crime,  but  to  familiarize  the  mind  with  cruelty,  and, 
consequently,  to  harden  the  hearts  of  those  who  suffered,  and  those  who 
witnessed  such  punishments.  The  substitution  in  Pennsylvania  of 
milder  correctives  had  excited  the  notice  and  respect  of  nations  abroad, 
as  well  as  of  our  sister  States;  our  example  had,  in  some  instances,  been 
followed,  and  he  had  no  doubt  the  principle  would  more  extensively 
prevail. 

The  box  deposited  in  the  corner-stone,  which  you  have  seen  laid,  con- 
tains a  plan  and  elevation  of  the  prison,  and  a  metal  plate  bearing  the 
following  inscription: 


116  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

PENITENTIARY 
FOR  THE  EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  THE  STATE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

FOUNDED, 
AGREEABLY  TO  AN  ACT  OF  ASSEMBLY 

Passed  on  the  twentieth  day  of  March,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-one. 

JOSEPH  HIESTER,  ANDREW  GREGG, 

Governor.  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  following  named  gentlemen, 
COMMISSIONERS: 

Thomas  Sparkes,  John  Bacon,  Roberts  Vaux,  Samuel  R.  Wood,  Cole- 
man  Sellers,  James  Thackara,  Daniel  H.  Miller,  William  Davidson, 
Thomas  Bradford,  Jr.,  Caleb  Carmalt,  Geo.  N.  Baker. 

JOHN  HAVILAND,  JACOB  SOUDER, 

Architect.  Superintendent  of  Masonry. 

It  only  remains  for  us,  said  Mr.  Vaux,  in  conclusion,  to  express  our 
ardent  desire  that  this  institution  may  fully  answer  the  important  purr 
poses  for  which  it  was  founded. 

In  a  report  to  the  Legislature,  Mr.  Thomas  McElwee  gave  this  de- 
scription: 

The  Walnut-Street  Prison  was  commenced  in  1773,  finished  in  1774. 
It  contained  sixteen  cells  for  solitary  confinement — they  were  only  used 
in  emergency.  The  evils  of  permitting  convicts  to  work  and  lodge  in 
companies,  with  unrestrained  intercourse  with  each  other,  were  mani- 
fested at  an  early  day  to  the  discerning  and  the  philanthropist. 

In  1801  a  memorial  was  presented  to  the  Legislature  by  the  "Phila- 
delphia Society  for  Alleviating  the  Miseries  of  Public  Prisons,"  dated 
Philadelphia,  12  mo.,  1801,  signed  Wm.  White,  President,  requesting 
the  Legislature  to  devise  means  "to  separate  the  convicts  from  all  other 
descriptions  of  prisoners;"  and  two  years  afterwards  the  same  society 
requested  the  Legislature  "  to  adopt  the  mode  of  punishing  criminals 
by  solitary  confinement  at  hard  labor."  In  1818,  the  society  presented 
another  petition  in  which  they  request  the  Legislature  "  to  consider  the 
propriety  and  expediency  of  erecting  penitentiaries  in  suitable  parts  of 
the  State  for  the  more  effectual  employment  and  separation  of  the  pris- 
oners, and  of  proving  the  efficacy  of  solitude  on  the  morals  of  those 
unhappy  objects" 

The  chief  object  of  the  society  appears  to  be  to  lessen  the  commission 
of  crime  by  inflicting  the  punishment  of  privation,  solitude,  and  labor 
for  a  certain  time  for  a  specified  ofiense,  not  as  a  mere  matter  of  restraint, 
but  strictly  as  a  punishment. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  117 

In  1821  another  memorial  was  laid  before  the  Legislature,  signed  by 
Wm.  White,  Roberts  Vaux,  and  other  eminent  men  who  have  labored 
unceasingly  to  promote  the  happiness  of  their  fellow-beings.  This  peti- 
tion was  successful.  The  Legislature,  by  Act  of  March  20, 1821,  author- 
ized the  construction  of  the  Eastern  Penitentiary  on  the  principle  of 
"  separate  and  solitary  confinement  at  labor,"  with  an  appropriation  of 
$100,000,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  certain  lots  of  ground  situate 
in  the  City  and  County  of  Philadelphia;  and  the  interest  of  the  Com- 
monwealth in  the  Arch-Street  Prison  was  vested  in  the  Commissioners 
on  condition  of  securing  to  the  State  the  payment  of  $50,000  out  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  that  building  and  the  lots  on  which  it  is  situated. 

A  lot  containing  thirteen  acres,  situate  on  Cherry  Hill,  two  miles 
northwest  of  the  Court  House,  was  purchased  and  appropriated  for  this 
important  purpose. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  front  building  was  laid  on  the  twenty-second 
day  of  May,  1823,  in  the  presence  of  the  Commissioners,  architect, 
Superintendent,  and  workmen;  Roberts  Vaux  presiding  over  the  cere- 
monies. 

A  box  was  deposited  in  the  corner-stone,  containing  a  plan  and  eleva- 
tion of  the  prison,  and  a  metal  plate  bearing  the  following  inscription: 
[See  the  copy  of  inscription  printed  on  page  116.] 

Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Eastern  Penitentiary  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  Eastern  State  Penitentiary  is  situated  on  one  of  the  most  elevated, 
airy,  and  healthy  sites  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  Large  sums  have 
been  expended  for  the  purpose  of  giving  an  unusual  degree  of  solidity 
and  durability  to  every  part  of  this  immense  structure,  which  is  the  most 
extensive  building  in  the  United  States.  The  ground  occupied  by  it  con- 
tains about  ten  acres.  The  material  with  which  the  edifices  are  built  is 
a  grayish  granite,  or  gneiss,  employed  in  large  masses;  every  room  is 
vaulted  and  fire-proof.  The  design  and  execution  impart  a  grave,  severe, 
and  awful  character  to  the  external  aspect  of  this  building.  The  effect 
which  it  produces  on  the  imagination  of  every  passing  spectator  is  pecul- 
iarly impressive,  solemn,  and  instructive.  The  architecture  is  in  keep- 
ing with  the  design.  The  broad  masses,  the  small  and  well  proportioned 
apertures,  the  continuity  of  lines,  and  the  bold  and  expressive  simplicity 
which  characterize  the  features  of  the  facade,  are  most  happily  and  judi- 
ciously combined.  The  originality  of  the  plan,  the  excellent  arrange- 
ment and  execution  of  the  details,  display  the  taste  and  ingenuity  of  the 

architect,  who  has  planned  some  of  the  noblest  edifices  of  our  country. 
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * " 

In  the  center  of  the  great  court-yard  is  an  observatory,  whence  long 
corridors,  seven  in  number,  radiate.  On  each  side  of  those  corridors  the 
cells  are  situated,  each  at  right  angles  to  them,  and  communicating  with 
them  only  by  small  openings,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  prisoner 
with  food,  and  inspecting  his  movements  without  attracting  his  attention; 
other  apertures  for  the  admission  of  cool  or  heated  air,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ventilation,  are  provided.  The  privy  pipes  carry  off  the  impuri- 
ties of  the  cell  to  a  common  sewer.  Originally  there  was  a  defect  in  the 
construction  of  those  pipes,  which  admitted  communication  between  the 
prisoners,  endangering  the  existence  of  the  institution.  This  defect  is,  I 
understand,  removed.  The  cells  are  warmed  by  heated  air,  conducted 
by  flues  through  the  whole  range.  Light  is  admitted  by  a  large  circular 


118  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

glass  in  the  crown  of  the  arch,  which  is  raking,  and  the  highest  part  six- 
teen feet  six  inches  above  the  floor,  which  is  of  wood,  overlying  a  solid 
foundation  of  stone.  The  walls  are  plastered  and  whitewashed;  the  cells 
are  eleven  feet  nine  inches  long,  and  seven  feet  six  inches  wide.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  cell,  opposite  to  the  apertures  for  inspection,  etc.,  pre- 
viously mentioned,  is  the  doorway,  containing  two  doors;  one  a  lattice 
work  or  iron  grating,  to  admit  the  air,  and  secure  the  prisoner;  the  other 
composed  of  planks  to  exclude  the  air  if  required.  This  door  leads  to  a 
yard  attached  to  each  cell  on  the  ground  floor,  eighteen  feet  by  eight,  the 
walls  of  which  are  eleven  and  a  half  feet  high.  In  the  second  story  each 
prisoner  is  allowed  an  additional  cell  or  bed-room.  Each  cell  is  fur- 
nished with  a  bedstead,  clothes  rail,  seat,  shelf,  tin  cup,  wash  basin, 
victuals  pan,  looking-glass,  combs,  scrubbing  brush  and  sweeping  brush, 
straw  mattress,  and  one  sheet,  one  blanket,  and  one  coverlet. 

The  bedstead  or  bunk  is  so  constructed  that  the  prisoner  can  rear  it 
against  the  wall  and  fasten  it  with  a  staple,  which  gives  him  more  room 
in  the  cell.  Each  cell  is  provided  with  water  by  means  of  a  stopcock. 
The  bedstead  now  in  use  is  constructed  of  wood.  The  iron  bedstead  and 
hammock  were  found  inexpedient.  There  were  three  hundred  and  eleven 
cells  completed  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1835;  all  the  rest  are  nearly 
fitted  for  the  reception  of  prisoners.  The  edifice  is  calculated  to  contain 
in  all  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  convicts.  The  three  blocks  first  con- 
structed are  one  story;  the  other  four  are  two  stories  each. 

The  close  approximation  of  the  level  of  the  edifice  to  the  surface  of  the 
public  reservoirs  at  Fairmount,  has  produced  some  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing an  ample  supply  of  water.  That  difficulty  has  been  removed  by  the 
following  contrivance:  A  well  of  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  and  about 
twenty-five  feet  in  depth  from  the  surface  of  the  ground,  is  duly  and 
securely  walled  up  and  arched  over  with  bricks;  contiguous  to  this  well 
a  building  of  substantial  masonry  has  been  erected  of  forty  feet  by  thirty- 
four  feet;  an  arched  basement  contains  the  furnaces  and  boilers,  over 
which  is  placed  a  steam  engine  of  six  horse-power,  by  means  of  which 
the  water  will  be  drawn  from  the  large  well,  and  forced  into  a  reservoir, 
erected  also  of  substantial  masonry,  north  of  and  adjoining  the  last 
mentioned  building.  This  reservoir  is  about  forty  feet  in  diameter  and 
ten  in  height  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  contains  about  seventy- 
six  thousand  six  hundred  gallons  of  water  supplied  by  the  Fairmount 
Waterworks.  From  this  reservoir  the  lower  stories  of  the  cell  buildings 
and  the  privy  pipes  belonging  thereto  receive  their  supply  of  water. 

Over  this  reservoir  is  an  apartment  sufficiently  capacious  to  contain 
nine  large  cedar  tanks  or  cisterns,  filled  with  water  from  the  large  well 
by  the  power  of  the  engine.  From  these  tanks  the  second  stories  of  cells 
and  privy  pipes  will  receive  their  supply  of  water.  This  contrivance, 
which  is  very  excellent,  will  furnish  an  ample  supply  of  water  to  the 
whole  establishment. 

An  apothecary's  shop  is  kept  within  the  walls  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  Physician.  One  apartment  is  allotted  to  the  Inspectors  and 
one  as  a  hospital.  Within  the  walls  is  a  garden  appropriated  to  the 
Warden  and  one  to  the  domestics. 

The  food  of  the  convicts  is  cooked  by  steam,  but  it  is  estimated  that 
the  present  apparatus  has  not  the  capacity  to  prepare  food  for  more  than 
two  hundred  persons. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  119 

The  cost  of  the  building  cannot  be  acurately  ascertained,  but  the  fol- 
lowing sums  are  known  to  have  been  appropriated  by  the  Legislature: 

By  Act  of  March  20,  1821 1 .  ..$100,000  00 

By  Act  of  March  15,  1824 80,000  00 

By  Act  of  March  1,  1825 .         60,00000 

By  Act  of  March  15,  1826 89,124  09 

By  Act  of  April  9,  1827 1,00000 

By  Act  of  April  14,  1828 4,000  00 

By  Act  of  April  23,  1829 5,00000 

By  Act  of  April  3,  1830 4,000  00 

By  Act  of  March  28,  1831 120,000  00 

By  Act  of  February  27,  1833 130,000  00 

By  Act  of  April  15,  1834 20,000  00 

By  Act  of  April  14,  1835 60,000  00 

City  prison,  city  lots,  etc 99,476  60 

*  

Total $772,600  69 

Pennsylvania  is  indebted  for  the  penitentiary  system  to  such  men  as 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Win.  White,  R.  Wells,  B.  Wynkoop,  T.  Wistar,  S. 
P.  Griffitts,  J.  Kaighn,  Wm.  Rogers,  C.  Marshall,  T.  Connelly,  T.  Cooper, 
C.  Lowndes,  B.  Shaw,  T.  Harrison,  Wm.  Lippincott,  Geo.  DuffieJd,  Rob- 
erts Vaux,  N.  Collin,  T.  Reed,  etc. — men  whose  philanthropy  knows  no 
bounds,  whose  courage  nothing  could  daunt,  and  whose  industry  in  benev- 
olence knows  no  resting  place.  Those  are  the  men  who  have  devised  a 
system,  and  under  whose  auspices  was  commenced  an  institution  which, 
in  the  strong  language  uttered  by  an  experienced  man  to  the  writer, 
"  had  it  been  rightly  conducted  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  find  a 
fault  with  it." 

Richard  Wistar  led  the  way  in  alleviating  the  miseries  of  prisons  in 
Pennsylvania.  This  benevolent  man,  before  the  Revolutionary  War, 
was  in  the  habit  of  causing  wholesome  soup,  prepared  at  his  own  dwell- 
ing, to  be  conveyed  to  the  prisoners  and  distributed  among  them.  The 
jail  was  then  situated  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Market  and  Third 
Streets.  "  The  Philadelphia  Society  for  Assisting  Distressed  Prisoners" 
was  formed  on  the  seventh  of  February,  1776,  suspended  in  1777,  by 
reason  of  the  presence  of  the  British  army  in  Philadelphia,  and  revived 
May  8, 1787,  under  the  name  of  "The  Philadelphia  Society  for  Alleviat- 
ing the  Miseries  of  Public  Prisons."  To  the  efforts  of  this  society  may 
be  attributed  the  construction  of  the  Eastern  State  Penitentiary. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  March,  1872,  the  Board  of  Inspectors  directed 
the  President,  Mr.  Richards  Vaux,  to  prepare  a  brief  sketch  of  the  origin 
and  history  of  the  prison  for  a  meeting  held  in  London  to  consider 
prison  subjects,  and  he  gives  this  description  of  the  prison: 

The  front  entrance  of  the  penitentiary  is  sixteen  feet  wide,  forty  in 
height.  It  has  two  gates,  an  outer  one  on  Coates  Street,  and  an  inside 
gate  opening  into  the  interior  grounds.  These  two  gates  are  not  allowed 
to  be  opened  at  the  same  time,  and  when  a  vehicle  passes  in  from  the 
street  the  gate  from  the  outside  is  closed  and  locked  before  the  inner 
gate  leading  to  the  premises  is  opened.  The  same  precaution  is  observed 


120  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

when  the  vehicle  passes  out.  The  Gatekeeper  is  always  present  in  his 
room  at  the  western  side  of  this  entrance.  The  eastern  portion  of  the 
front  buildings  is  for  the  Warden's  family,  and  the  Inspectors  have 
their  room  on  that  side.  The  western  is  for  the  Resident  Physician  and 
the  Clerk's  office,  and  any  other  purpose  for  which  it  may  be  needed. 
The  carriage  and  footway  to  the  center  building  is  thirty  feet  wide,  and 
on  either  side  of  it  are  large  plots  of  ground  with  flowers  and  grass. 

The  "center  building  "  is  forty  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  of  an  octagonal 
shape,  and  each  corridor  opens  into  it.  A  good  idea  may  be  had  of  its 
form  by  likening  it  to  the  hub  of  a  wheel  from  which  the  spokes,  repre- 
senting the  corridors,  radiate.  It  is  two  stories  high.  On  the  top  is 
a  lantern  and  lookout.  In  the  lantern  or  cupola  are  eight  reflectors, 
twenty  inches  in  diameter,  silver-plated,  and  by  the  use  of  gas  the  light 
is  thrown  at  night  into  all  parts  of  the  grounds.  It  is  deemed  one  of 
the  best  protections.  The  height  of  these  reflectors  from  the  ground  is 
about  fifty  feet.  The  center  building  stands  in  the  exact  center  of  the 
whole  plot  of  ground,  around  whilh  is  a  substantial  stone  wall,  the  aver- 
age height  of  which  is  thirty-five  feet.  At  the  base  it  is  twelve  feet  wide, 
and  at  the  top  two  feet,  with  a  coping  overhanging  inside  two  and  one 
half  feet.  There  is  a  tower  at  each  corner,  and  the  plot  of  ground  con- 
tains about  ten  acres. 

Escapes. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  penitentiary,  in  1829,  there  have  been  nine 
escapes.  Of  these  six  were  retaken. 

Flour  Mill. 

The  grist  mill,  situated  over  the  cook  house  and  boiler-room,  forms 
an  important  feature  in  the  economical  arrangement  of  this  prison,  inas- 
much as  it  furnishes  the  penitentiary  with  fresh  flour,  uniformly  sweet 
and  good,  at  a  very  considerably  less  cost  than  it  purchased  in  the 
market. 

The  engine  which  drives  the  mill  is  one  of  ten  horse-power,  and  was 
erected  in  the  year  1834,  for  the  purpose  of  pumping  water  from  a  large 
well  into  the  reservoir  at  times  of  scarcity  of  water  at  the  city  water- 
works, and  it  still  performs  that  service  when  needed. 

The  net  gain  of  this  arrangement,  for  the  eleven  months  it  has  been 
in  operation,  has  been  $1,324  46. 

Carpenter  Shop. 

There  is  a  building  in  the  grounds,  between  the  third  and  fourth 
blocks,  constructed  so  that,  in  case  of  emergency,  or  if  a  contagious  dis- 
ease should  manifest  itself  in  the  cells,  a  comfortable,  well  heated,  and 
ventilated  hospital  could,  in  a  few  hours,  be  ready  for  use.  It  is  fifty 
feet  in  length,  twenty-five  in  width,  and  two  stories  in  height.  The  use 
to  which  it  is  designed  is  a  general  shop  for  storing  wood  and  for  car- 
penter's work.  The  upper  story,  twelve  feet  in  height,  can  be  promptly 
made  ready  for  a  hospital,  and  the  patients  separated  by  temporary 
screens. 

Reservoirs. 

The  water  is  supplied  from  a  reservoir  to  all  the  prisoners.  This  res- 
ervoir is  circular  in  form,  forty-one  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  twenty- 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  121 

five  feet  deep,  holds  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-two  gallons  of  water.  The  weight  of  the  water,  when  full, 
is  equal  to  one  thousand  five  hundred  tons.  There  were  two  hundred 
thousand  bricks  used  on  the  inner  wall;  the  outside  wall  is  of  stone. 
The  walls  are  three  feet  thick,  and  bound  with  iron  hoops,  built  in  the 
wall,  two  feet  apart.  The  whole  is  covered  with  a  slate  roof  with  venti- 
lator at  the  top. 

The  kitchen,  for  preparing  the  food  of  the  prisoners,  the  bake  house, 
and  the  flour  mill,  in  which  all  the  flour  is  ground,  are  located  in  the 
buildings  adjoining  the  reservoir.  There  is  a  well  fourteen  feet  in  diam- 
eter between  the  reservoir  and  the  kitchen,  out  of  which  a  supply  of 
water  is  pumped  by  steam  when  the  water  in  the  basin  supplied  by  the 
city  waterworks  is  too  low  for  general  use. 

Heating  and  Lighting. 

The  heating  of  the  cells  is  by  steam  from  boilers  at  the  end  of  the 
corridors,  and  the  refuse  steam  is  used  for  the  prisoners'  bath  house,  and 
to  heat  the  center  building  and  library,  which  is  on  the  second  story  of 
the  center  building.  Five  and  one  half  miles  of  iron  pipe  are  employed 
in  conducting  the  steam  through  various  parts  of  the  premises.  Steam 
as  a  means  of  heating  has  been  introduced  in  lieu  of  hot  water.  The 
total  number  of  gas  burners  whereby  the  cells  are  lighted  is  six  hundred 
and  fifty. 

Wash-Room. 

The  wash-room  is  twenty-five  by  twenty-five  feet,  the  drying-room 
twenty-five  by  thirty  feet,  and  each  fifteen  feet  high.  Between  these 
rooms  is  the  boiler-room,  twenty-five  by  twenty  feet  and  twelve  high, 
and  over  the  boiler-room  is  the  room  for  storing  boots  and  shoes,  twenty- 
five  by  twenty  feet  and  eleven  feet  high.  These  rooms  are  situated  at 
the  end  of  the  seventh  block. 

The  drying-room  is  heated  by  steam  pipes,  giving  a  temperature  of 
150  to  200  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

The  same  boiler  which  heats  this  room  supplies  hot  water  in  abun- 
dance for  washing. 

The  washing  is  done  with  a  machine,  which  is  put  in  rapid  motion  by 
a  pair  of  cranks  or  winches,  turned  by  four  men.  It  is  found  to  be  very 
effective,  doing  its  work  thoroughly.  After  washing,  the  clothes  are  put 
under  a  screw-press  and  the  water  forced  out,  leaving  them  nearly  dry. 

There  are  not  less  than  two  thousand  eight  hundred  pieces  of  clothing 
washed  each  week. 

Each  article  is  marked  with  the  prisoner's  number,  and  his  own  clothes 
and  bedding  are  always  returned  to  him. 

Receiving- Room. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  main  entrance,  at  a  short  distance  beyond 
the  inside  gate,  is  a  room  properly  protected  for  the  reception  of  the 
convicts.  It  is  so  secured  that  no  combination  of  prisoners  to  escape 
can  be  successful.  They  sometimes  arrive,  several  at  one  time,  in  the 
night,  from  the  counties  comprising  the  Eastern  District,  when  caution 
is  necessary,  as  they  are  then  unknown  to  the  prison  authorities.  In 
this  room  the  reception  of  the  prisoners  takes  place,  and  all  the  exami- 


122  EEFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

nations  then  necessary  are  made  before  they  are  taken  to  the  cells.  In 
passing  from  the  front  to  the  center  building,  and  thence  to  their  cells, 
they  wear  a  cap  which  prevents  recognition  in  the  daytime  and  secures 
them  from  acquiring  any  topographical  knowledge  of  the  ground  plan 
of  the  penitentiary.  Every  prisoner,  on  being  received,  is  taken  to  a 
bath-room  and  thoroughly  cleansed.  He  is  then  supplied  with  a  clean 
suit  of  prison  garments,  and  the  clothing  he  wore  upon  admission  and 
such  articles  as  were  found  upon  his  person  are  carefully  packed  away, 
to  be  restored  to  him  on  his  discharge.  Personal  cleanliness  is  further 
secured  by  a  frequent  use  of  the  bath-room.  A  number  is  assigned  to 
each  prisoner  when  received,  and  by  that  number  he  is  designated  as 
long  as  he  remains  in  the  institution. 

Corridors  and  Blocks  of  Cells. 

The  length  of  the  "first  block"  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet; 
ten  feet  wide,  twenty-one  feet  high  to  the  top  of  the  arch.  The  old  cells 
in  this  block  are  seven  feet  six  inches  in  width  by  twelve  feet  in  length, 
and  say  fourteen  feet  in  height.  The  new  cells  in  this  block  are  eight 
feet  wide,  sixteen  feet  long,  and  eleven  feet  high.  There  are  twenty  of 
these  new  cells,  built  in  1869-70.  There  are  fifty  cells  in  this  block. 

The  length  of  the  "  second  block  "  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet, 
including  passage  way  from  the  corridor  to  the  center  building.  The 
block  is  only  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length,  ten  feet  wide,  and 
twenty-one  feet  high.  There  are  thirty-eight  cells  in  this  block. 

The  size  of  the  " third  block  "is  same  as  second  block.  There  are 
twenty  cells  in  this  block;  eighteen  "double  cells,"  or  seventeen  by 
twelve  feet,  twelve  feet  high,  and  used  as  shops.  These  three  blocks 
are  one  story  high. 

The  length  of  the  "  fourth  block  "  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet. 
It  is  two  stories  in  height.  There  are  fifty  cells  on  the  ground  floor,  and 
fifty  cells  in  the  second  story.  The  size  is  seven  feet  six  inches  wide  by 
fifteen  feet  long  and  eleven  feet  high.  The  cells  in  the  second  story  are 
the  same  size  as  the  others,  and  twelve  feet  high.  There  are  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six  cells  in  this  block. 

The  "  fifth  block  "  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  in  length,  ten 
feet  wide.  The  corridor  is  thirty-three  feet  high  and  has  two  stories. 
There  are  sixty-eight  cells  on  the  ground  floor  and  sixty-eight  on  the 
second  floor.  The  size  of  the  cells  is  the  same  as  in  the  "  fourth  block." 

The  "sixth  block"  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  long,  ten  feet 
wide,  two  stories  high.  The  height  of  the  corridor  is  thirty -three  feet,  and 
it  contains  one  hundred  cells  of  the  same  size  as  in  the  "  fourth  block." 

The  "  seventh  block  "  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  long,  two 
stories  high,  fifteen  feet  wide  on  the  gallery,  ten  feet  wide  on  the  ground 
floor.  It  is  thirty-eight  feet  in  height.  The  cells  are  seven  feet  six 
inches  wide,  sixteen  feet  long,  and  eleven  feet  high.  There  are  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  cells  in  this  block. 

The  cells  on  the  ground  floor  of  all  the  corridors  have  yards  attached 
to  them;  the  cells  in  the  second  story  have  no  yards.  Some  are  double 
cells  (two  cells  in  one),  for  special  use. 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  123 

The  New  Cells. 

Twenty  new  cells  have  been  added  to  the  first  block  corridor.  They 
are  the  result,  in  construction,  of  all  the  experience  gained  as  to  the  best 
mode  of  building  such  apartments.  These  new  cells  are  eight  feet  by  six- 
teen, and  twelve  feet  high.  They  are  lighted  by  a  skylight  five  feet  by 
twelve  inches.  The  means  of  supplying  heat  and  ventilation  and  light 
are  regarded  as  most  complete.  The  heat  is  from  steam  supplied  by  a 
boiler  at  the  end  of  the  block,  and  is  sufficient  for  this  and  the  second 
block.  Each  cell  has  a  yard  eight  by  fourteen  feet,  and  inclosed  by  a 
wall  eleven  feet  high.  The  water  for  drinking  is  at  the  command  of  the 
prisoner.  The  gas  is  given  between  certain  hours.  A  privy  is  in  each 
cell,  and  is  cleaned  daily  by  flooding  into  a  sewer. 

The  doors  into  the  corridors  slide  in  grooves,  and  the  fastenings  were 
designed  by  Mr.  Cassidy,  the  principal  Overseer,  who  had  entire  super- 
intendence of  the  construction  of  the  work.  The  cells  are  regarded  as 
the  most  approved  of  any  in  use. 

A  Review  of  the  Development  of  the  Administration. 

From  the  opening  of  this  penitentiary  in  1829,  to  the  end  of  last 
year,  1871,  forty-two  years  have  elapsed.  This  period  may  be  subdivided 
into  two  epochs.  The  first,  from  1829  to  1849,  should  be  designated  as  the 
epoch  of  "experiment  and  experience;"  the  latter  of  "development  and 
progress."  It  requires  neither  argument  nor  justification  to  denominate 
the  first  period  as  one  during  which  the  system  was  to  be  studied  and 
understood.  From  the  earliest  efforts  to  secure  "solitude,"  as  it  was 
called,  for  the  convict  during  his  imprisonment,  till  the  trial  was  so 
indifferently  and  partially  made  in  the  Walnut-Street  Prison,  by  the 
separation  of  a  few  prisoners,  it  was  the  theory  of  separation  that  was 
mainly  considered. 

When  the  penitentiary  was  ready  in  1829  for  the  reception  of  some 
occupants,  it  may  be  said  that  very  little  was  really  known  as  to  the 
effect  of  the  discipline  on  the  prisoners.  Indeed,  the  discipline  of  itself 
was  a  theory.  For  many  years  following  1829,  it  was  not  possible  to  do 
more  than  supervise  the  administration,  and  put  it  into  working  order. 
It  required  some  time  to  settle  what  were  the  consequences  of  the  disci- 
pline, and  patient  investigation  was  necessary  to  determine  them.  To 
finish  all  the  buildings,  suffer  from  some  serious  criticisms  on  the  man- 
agement, and  harmonize  almost  irreconcilable  opinions,  if  not  feelings, 
among  those  who  were  first  connected  with  the  administration  of  the 
penitentiary,  distracted  the  minds  of  those  who  were  charged  with  the 
government  of  the  institution.  Therefore,  from  1829  to  1835  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Inspectors  was  not  wholly  concentrated  on  the  workings  of 
the  system  which  had  been  established  for  the  penitentiary.  From  1835 
to  1849  the  treatment  of  the  prisoners  was  thoroughly  considered,  and 
then  it  was  that  the  experience  developed  in  the  experiment  of  the  sepa- 
rate system  became  of  great  importance. 

From  1849  to  1871,  the  Inspectors  were  to  a  greater  extent  occupied  in 
investigating  the  principles  and  the  philosophy  of  the  separate  or  indi- 
vidual treatment  discipline,  which  is  now  in  full  operation  in  this  peni- 
tentiary. 

These  remarks  are  properly  prefatory  to  the  annexed  extracts  from 
the  reports  of  the  Inspectors  to  the  Legislature.  They  are  also  intended 


124  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

to  present  the  reason  for,  and  explain  the  purpose  of,  the  statement  of 
the  results  of  the  administration  of  the  system  of  separate  confinement 
of  prisoners  in  the  penitentiary,  for  the  two  periods  to  which  reference 
has  been  made.  This  statement  will  give  some  idea  of  the  progress 
made,  but  prominently  shows  the  philosophic  basis  on  which  penology 
must  rest,  and  the  intimate  relations  it  bears  to  social  science. 

The  penitentiary  went  into  operation,  by  the  reception  of  the  first 
prisoner,  on  October  25,  1829.  The  law  organizing  it  was  in  force  June 
1,  1829,  and  S.  R.  Wood,  the  first  Warden,  took  charge  August  1,  1829. 
Four  blocks  of  cells  were  yet  unfinished,  and  the  architect  and  the  friends 
of  the  separate  system,  as  well  as  the  Inspectors,  were  engaged  in  ascer- 
taining what  improvements  could  be  made  in  the  details  of  the  general 
plan.  The  State  Penitentiary  at  Pittsburg  (Allegheny),  and  the  one  at 
Philadelphia,  constructed  on  the  plan  of  separate  confinement  of  the  con- 
victs, were  both  originally  devised  without,  of  course,  much,  if  any,  prac- 
tical experience  in  their  adaptation  to  the  objects  for  which  they  were 
to  be  occupied.  It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  experience,  when  obtained, 
did  not  suggest  various  improvements  in  the  structure  of  prisons  for  the 
separation,  individual  treatment,  and  labor  and  instruction  of  the  inmates. 

It  is  but  proper  to  note  that,  in  1818,  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion 
among  the  friends  of  the  system  as  to  what  it  really  should  be  in  its 
administration.  Some  were  for  solitude,  as  it  was  called  in  contradis- 
tinction to  congregation,  without  labor.  Others  were  in  favor  of  solitude 
and  hard  labor.  The  first  blocks  of  cells  were  erected  when  this  subject 
had  been  settled,  but  it  had  so  engaged  the  minds  of  all  parties  before 
the  great  results  which  experience  has  since  shown  were  to  result  from 
separation  and  the  individual  treatment  of  the  prisoners,  that  these  apart- 
ments were  not  wholly  suited  to  the  wiser  and  truer  discipline. 

It  is  not  now  scarcely  possible  to  explain  how  much  of  discussion  and 
difference  of  opinion  then  existed  on  these  subjects.  The  friends  of  the 
separate  system  had  not  only  to  educate  the  public  mind  in  Pennsylvania 
as  to  its  real  merits,  but  also  to  combat  opposition  in  England,  New  En- 
gland, New  York,  and  among  various  gentlemen  who  had  some  general 
opinions  on  penal  jurisprudence.  It  is  not  possible  to  give  all  the  views 
expressed  from  these  sources.  A  history,  even  as  brief  as  the  one  now 
presented,  would  not,  however,  be  satisfactory  without  some  reference  to 
these  interesting  questions  and  their  effects  on  the  Pennsylvania  system. 

The  system  of  Pennsylvania  may  now  be  properly  described  as  the 
separate  and  individual  treatment  system  of  prison  discipline.  We 
believe  it  to  be  as  great  a  success  as  human  effort,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances, could  be  expected  to  accomplish. 

Crime  and  criminals  should  be  regarded  in  the  relation  they  bear  to 
the  social  condition.  Society,  the  State,  or  Commonwealth,  demands 
protection  against  violations  of  those  laws  which  are  enacted  for  pro- 
tection of  the  interests,  happiness,  security,  and  welfare  of  the  people. 
For  these  violations  of  law,  punishment  is  to  be  inflicted  on  the  offender. 
Thus  far  the  State  is  directly  interested  in  the  laws  defining  crimes,  and 
declaring  the  penalties.  The  vindication  of  the  law  and  its  administra- 
tion, and  the  infliction  of  the  punishment,  comprise  the  paramount  inter- 
ests of  the  State.  The  punishment  begins  its  operation  on  the  criminal, 
and  so  far  as  that  punishment  deters  from  crime,  the  State  has  a  direct 
interest  in  the  system  by  which  it  is  administered.  Out  of  the  system 
come  other  benefits  to  the  State,  such  as  the  reformation  of  the  offender, 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  125 

and  the  protection  of  the  State  from  the  perils  of  a  crime-class,  created 
by  the  system  of  punishment. 

The  system  by  which,  in  penitentiary  or  prison,  the  punishment  is 
inflicted,  and  by  which  these  benefits  are  to  be  derived  both  by  the  State 
and  the  convict,  is  of  equal  importance  with  any  other  of  the  interests 
the  State  has  directly  in  its  jurisprudence. 

This  system  is  one  to  be  considered  and  determined  by  applying  to 
the  principles  on  which  it  is  based  a  scientific  investigation  only,  for 
any  other  subordinates  to  the  feelings  and  interests  what  should  be  pre- 
dominant as  a  question  of  social  science. 

This  subject,  it  may  be  remarked,  is  one  that  requires  the  most  thor- 
ough examination  before  any  conclusions  can  be  safely  arrived  at.  The 
questions  of  original  cost,  kind  of  labor,  or  capacity  to  be  self-support- 
ing, have  no  direct  concern  with  the  system  of  punishment.  If  the 
punishment  by  the  separate  and  individual  treatment  of  the  convicts, 
secures  society  and  protects  the  people;  deters  from  crime;  punishes  the 
offender;  reforms  the  individual;  returns  him  to  his  former  social  rela- 
tions better,  or  no  worse,  than  when  he  was  separated  from  them  by  his 
imprisonment;  prevents  the  organization  or  augmentation  of  a  crime- 
class  in  the  community;  then  the  principal  purposes,  the  highest  aims 
of  punishment  are  obtained.  It  is  with  these  that  society  is  directly 
concerned.  To  ascertain  whether  these  effects  are  the  consequences  of 
any  system  of  punishment,  requires  that  the  system  should  be  scientific- 
ally and  practically  investigated,  and  all  other  questions  should  be 
postponed  till  these  consequences  are  determined. 

It  is  claimed  for  the  separate  and  individual  treatment  system,  as  now 
administered  in  the  Eastern  State  Penitentiary  at  Philadelphia,  that  it 
accomplishes  all  these  purposes.  Let  the  contrary  be  demonstrated 
before  the  system  is  either  condemned  or  set  aside  for  one  which  yields 
less  or  none  of  the  great  objects  of  punishment  by  imprisonment  of  offend- 
ers. It  will  not  suffice  to  condemn  the  separate  system,  because  by  the 
separation  of  convicts  less  profits  are  obtained  from  their  labor  than 
when  they  work,  aided  by  machinery,  in  an  associate  or  congregate 
prison.  The  State  has  no  such  paramount  interest  in  the  profits  of  the 
labor  of  its  convicts  as  to  abandon  all  the  other  benefits  which  should  be 
derived  from  their  punishment.  The  congregation  or  association  of  con- 
victs during  their  punishment  by  imprisonment,  produces  evils  ulti- 
mately far  more  expensive  to  the  State  than  the  loss  of  profits  gained  by 
working  them  together  for  the  period  of  their  imprisonment. 

It  is  doubted  if  ever  yet  a  system  of  penitentiary  discipline,  or  of  treat- 
ment of  offenders  sentenced  to  separation  from  society  for  crimes  against 
it,  has  been  adjudged  the  best  because  it  is  preeminently  a  profit-mak- 
ing, money-gaining  system.  Such  a  decision,  based  on  such  a  principle, 
would,  or  should,  shock  the  moral  sense  of  mankind.  It  may  be  possi- 
ble to  introduce  into  the  profit-making  discipline  a  means  of  moral  cult- 
ure, promising  the  reform  of  those  who  are  subjected  to  it.  But  so  long 
as  the  profits  are  the  primary  purpose  of  the  discipline,  the  great  aim, 
punishment,  is  lost  sight  of,  because  punishment  then  is  only  incarcera- 
tion in  a  prison,  and  the  reformation  of  the  prisoner  is  subordinate  to 
the  best  method  of  labor. 


126  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

No  regard  is  paid  to  the  effects  of  congregating  in  a  prison  large  num- 
bers of  convicts  working  together,  when  these  prisoners  leave  the  insti- 
tution to  mix  again  in  society.  This  consideration,  and  the  reformation 
and  individual  benefits  to  be  derived  from  proper  instruction  during 
punishment,  are  questions  which,  if  considered,  and  due  weight  given  to 
their  importance,  would  involve  loss  of  profits.  A  congregate  prison — 
the  system  of  congregating  prisoners  for  work — unless  it  is  profit-making, 
could  not  be  regarded  as  defensible.  Its  only  merit  now  consists  in  the 
asserted  fact  that  it  may  be  self-supporting.  Such  are  the  sordid  influ- 
ences that  the  system  of  money-making  prisons  begets — a  system  so 
prejudicial  to  the  convict  and  society. 

Remarks  and  Facts  in  Relation  to  Administration. 

It  may  be  said,  without  fear  of  denial,  that  the  best  system  of  prison 
discipline  ever  devised  may  utterly  fail  by  reason  of  its  bad  administra- 
tion. So,  also,  is  it  true  of  a  bad  system;  it  may  produce  good  results, 
provided  it  is  well  administered.  So  much  depends  on  administration. 
The  most  important  element  in  all  administrations  is  the  character  and 
capacity  of  the  governing  power,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  officers  to 
their  duties.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  changing  of  the  officers  for 
any  reason  other  than  unfitness,  or  impropriety  of  conduct,  is  to  be  con- 
demned in  the  strongest  manner  as  fatal  to  the  best  interests  of  the  insti- 
tution. Political  or  sectarian  influences  should  never  be  permitted  to 
control  the  administration,  nor  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  government 
of  a  prison.  It  produces  the  worst  possible  condition  of  the  administra- 
tion, and  destroys  the  independence  of  those  who  are  required  to  be 
responsible  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  peculiar  duties,  which  must 
be  systematized,  rigidly  supervised,  and  performed  with  exactness,  and 
with  a  full  understanding  that  direct  accountability  is  demanded. 

Very  little  consideration  is  given  to  the  importance  of  these  principles 
in  prison  government.  It  is  too  often  the  case  that  favoritism  is  made 
the  ground  for  pertinacious  recommendations  for  positions,  when  the 
want  of  character  and  fitness  in  the  applicant  is  known  to  be  positive. 
Appointments  to  positions  should  be  in  every  case  dependent  only  on 
integrity,  character,  and  special  qualifications  for  the  duties  to  be  per- 
formed, and  the  tenure  should  depend  solely  on  good  conduct.  In  this 
penitentiary  all  the  appointments  of  Overseers  are  made  by  the  Warden 
without  the  intervention  of  the  Inspectors,  who,  however,  hold  the  War- 
den responsible  therefor. 

It  may  better  explain  the  basis  of  the  administration  of  the  discipline 
to  give  the  following  account  of  some  of  the  means  adopted  to  improve 
and  reform  the  prisoners: 

For  the  past  three  years,  out  of  a  total  population  during  that  period 
of  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-five  persons,  only  ninety-six 
were  subjected  to  punishment  for  violating  the  rules,  for  gross  insubor- 
dination, or  for  other  bad  conduct.  The  only  punishment  permitted  is  a 
dark  cell  and  bread  and  water. 

For  the  same  period  twenty  thousand  three  hundred  lessons  were  given 
by  the  secular  teachers,  instructing  those  who  were  illiterate,  or  improv- 
ing those  who  had  some  education. 

The  whole  number  of  lessons  given  by  the  Moral  Instructor  was  twenty- 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  127 

four  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-six,  besides  one  thousand  and 
eighty-nine  Sunday  exercises  on  the  Sundays  of  these  years. 

There  were  twenty-eight  thousand  and  thirty-one  newspapers,  of  all 
religious  denominations,  distributed. 

The  library  contains  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  vol- 
umes, and  for  three  years  sixty-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  books  were  distributed  to  the  prisoners,  besides  one  hundred  and 
twelve  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifteen  pages  of  tracts. 

Every  prisoner  is  taught  a  handicraft  occupation,  and  when  able  to 
do  the  work  he  is  allowed  one  half  of  the  product  of  his  labor,  in  excess 
of  his  task,  for  his  own  use  or  that  of  his  family.  All  those  who  are 
received  and  capable  of  learning  are  taught  to  read,  write,  cipher,  and  a 
trade.  When  any  prisoner  has  a  decided  talent  for  either  intellectual 
or  mechanical  pursuits,  he  is  permitted  to  improve  himself  in  study  or 
perfect  himself  in  mechanism. 

Letters  to  and  from  the  prisoners  are  forwarded  by  the  Warden  after 
such  examination  only  as  to  provide  against  infractions  of  the  rules. 
Within  the  past  three  years  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  letters  were  sent  by  prisoners,  and  eighteen  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  eleven  received  by  them. 

The  influences  best  adapted  to  each  individual  as  a  reformatory  treat- 
ment of  his  case  are  directly  applied. 

The  cells  are  regularly  cleaned,  and  great  attention  is  given  to  this 
subject,  and  also  to  personal  cleanliness. 

The  number  of  general  visitors  to  the  institution  for  the  past  ten  years 
amounts  to  one  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty. 
Visits  to  the  prisoners  are  regulated  by  a  general  rule,  but  special  cases 
are  governed  by  the  circumstances  in  each  case. 

The  officers,  Warden,  Physician,  Moral  Instructors,  and  Teachers  and 
Overseers  in  charge,  have  constant  intercourse  with  the  prisoners. 

Two  of  the  Inspectors  arc  detailed  each  month  as  "  Visiting  Inspect- 
ors," who  have  the  general  duties  of  supervision  imposed  on  them,  besides 
such  special  business  in  regard  to  the  administration  as  the  Board 
directs. 

The  "  Prison  Society  "  has  a  visiting  committee  which  occupies  itself 
with  visits  to  the  prisoners,  and  a  special  officer  of  the  society  to  look 
after  discharged  prisoners. 

Meetings  of  the  Board. 

The  regular  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Inspectors  are  held  monthly,  at 
which  time  a  written  report  in  detail  is  required  from  the  Treasurer, 
Warden,  Physician,  Moral  Instructor,  and  Secular  Instructor.  Bills  are 
at  the  same  time  submitted  by  the  Warden  for  all  purchases  made  by 
him  since  the  preceding  meeting,  their  payment,  however,  not  being 
ordered  by  the  Board  until,  upon  examination  by  a  committee  of  the 
Board,  they  are  found  to  be  correct.  The  Warden  is  also  required  by 
law  to  keep  a  journal  and  enter  therein  daily  all  events  happening  in 
the  penitentiary,  including  all  cases  of  punishment  or  discipline,  open 
to  the  examination  of  the  Inspectors. 


128 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


Annual  Reports  of  the  Inspectors  to  the  Legislature. 

From  the  first  year  of  the  opening  of  the  penitentiary,  1829,  annually, 
as  by  law  required,  the  Inspectors  have  made  to  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  reports  on  the  condition  of  the  institution.  These  reports  are 
exhaustive  on  all  the  subjects  connected  with  the  administration  of  the 
penitentiary.  The  views  of  the  Inspectors  as  to  the  system  of  separate 
or  individual  treatment  of  convicts  are  presented,  and  such  suggestions 
are  from  time  to  time  made  as  directly  relate  to  the  cause  of  crime,  legis- 
lation for  the  prevention  and  punishment  of  offenders,  and  also  the 
opinions  of  the  Inspectors  on  the  proper  means  by  which  the  effects  of 
punishment  are  most  surely  produced.  Each  annual  report  is  accom- 
panied by  statistical  tables  most  carefully  prepared  from  the  best  sources 
of  information,  in  which  the  most  thorough  exposition  of  the  relations, 
physical,  moral,  and  mental,  of  each  prisoner  on  admission  and  dis- 
charge is  shown. 

It  is  believed  that  no  more  full  and  complete  exhibit  of  any  institution 
can  be  found  than  is  thus  afforded. 

The  student  of  penal  science,  in  its  relations  to  social  science,  jurispru- 
dence, systems  of  punishment,  prison  discipline,  the  effects  of  imprison- 
ment by  the  separate  system  on  all  who  are  subjected  to  it,  can  obtain 
in  these  reports  most  valuable  information.  There  are  now  printed  and 
published  forty -three  of  these  reports  with  full  tabular  statistical  exhibits, 
and  in  order  that  those  who  desire  to  learn  how  much  has  been  done  by 
the  Inspectors  for  the  past  few  years,  for  the  information  of  those  who 
take  any  interest  in  investigating  the  questions  involved,  it  may  be  stated 
that  each  of  the  more  recent  annual  reports  contain  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pages  of  printed  matter. 

Receiving  Book. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  "  Receiving  Book  "  which  has  been  in 
use  in  this  penitentiary  for  nearly  forty  years: 


No. 


Age, 

Native  of, 

Bound, 

Trade, 

Complexion, 

Eyes, 

Hair, 

Stature, 

Marks, 

No.  of  convictions, 

Parents, 

Reads, 

Writes, 

Temperate, 

Married, 

Property, 

Crime, 

Sentence, 

County  and  Court, 

Sentenced, 

Received, 

Remarks, 


Apprenticed: 

and  left  before  the  end  of  term  of  apprenticeship, 
and  served  until  expiration  of  term. 


Went  to  public  school, 
Went  to  private  school, 
Age  on  leaving  school, 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

A  Copy  of  the  Medical  General  Record  of  Admissions. 


129 


P 

3 

A 

G 

ED 

§T 

o 

Color. 

35 
A 

Sex. 

Bodily  Health 

Mental  Health 

P 
cr 

05 

Social 
State. 

Protected  A 
Smallpox  .. 

Hereditary  D 
in  the  Fami 

O 
O 

o" 

o' 

Length  of  Senl 

Time  in  Count 

* 
a 

s 

Occupation..  . 

¥ 

w 

P 

?r 

Mulatto. 

K 

Female. 

Married 

GO 

5" 
A" 

A 

o 

3 

3 

O 

«» 

* 

i     :/ 

DO 

£ 

!      A 

I 

! 

p 

A  Copy  of  the  Medical  General  Record  of  Discharges. 


« 

o 

p 

o 

Color. 

>> 

Sex. 

Bodily  Health. 

Mental  Health. 

v% 

H 

5' 

S? 

Sf 

3 

A 

A 

A 

i- 

B 

A 

S" 

2 

5" 

o 

Mulatto.. 

5T 

Female.  .. 

Improved 

Unimprov 

Im- 
paired. 

Improved 

Unimprov 

Im- 
paired. 

;h  during  I 
onment... 

in  Prison. 

3- 

cc 

• 

i 

; 

a 

; 

a 

e 

: 

• 

o/  Medical  Monthly  Report. 


p 

3 
A 

O 

Color. 

°n 

Sex. 

Date  of  Admissi 

H 

3' 

(D 

5' 

S3' 
o 

Disease  

o 

c 

00 

A 

Event 

Monthly  Summ 
Remarks,  etc. 

er 

F 

s 
p* 

Mulatto. 

A" 

Female  . 

C 
B 

I 

Relieved 

Time  Out 

Pardoned 

d 

A 

& 

I 

! 

; 

: 

• 

1 

[I 

9D 


130  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

Medical  Department. 

The  health  of  the  large  number  of  inmates  of  a  penitentiary  is  a  sub- 
ject of  careful  attention.  After  much  experience  and  reflection,  the 
Inspectors  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  importance  of  the  interests 
involved  required  that  a  competent  physician  should  permanently  reside 
upon  the  premises,  so  as  to  be  constantly  at  hand,  by  day  or  night,  when- 
ever an  occasion  should  arise  for  his  services.  This  has  been  found 
much  more  satisfactory  than  the  system  of  a  visiting  physician  from 
without.  Medical  visits,  of  which  a  daily  record  is  kept,  are  constantly 
and  systematically  made  by  the  Resident  Physician  to  every  prisoner, 
and  each  new  recipient  into  the  institution  undergoes,  upon  his  admis- 
sion, a  thorough  and  medical  examination,  the  results  of  which  are  fully 
recorded.  An  ample  assortment  of  medical  supplies  is  kept  in  the  apoth- 
ecary shop  of  the  penitentiary,  which  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Resi- 
dent Physician. 

The  Discharge  of  Prisoners. 

It  is  of  great  importance,  where  a  penitentiary,  located  in  a  city, 
receives  inmates  from  a  distance,  that  they  should  when  discharged  be 
immediately  sent  to  the  localities  whence  they  came,  and  not  be  exposed 
to  the  temptations  of  the  city.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  beneficial 
object,  the  Inspectors  have  obtained  authority,  by  an  Act  of  Assembly 
of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  to  give,  if  it  should  be  needed,  to  each 
prisoner,  upon  his  discharge,  a  specified  sum  of  money  for  the  purpose 
of  paying  his  traveling  expenses  to  the  county  from  which  he  came,  viz.: 
$5  under  fifty  and  $10  over  fifty  miles. 

The  "Prison  Society"  also,  as  a  part  of  its  benevolent  operations, 
takes  care  that  each  prisoner,  upon  his  discharge,  shall,  if  his  necessities 
require  it,  be  supplied  with  such  clothing  as  shall  enable  him  to  present 
a  proper  appearance  when  he  rejoins  his  family  or  friends. 

Rules  for  the  Prisoner. 

In  each  cell  there  is  a  printed  copy  of  these  rules.  "You  are  desired 
strictly  to  observe  the  following  rules  established  by  the  Inspectors  for 
your  government:" 

First — You  must  keep  you  person,  cell,  and  utensils  clean  and  in 
order. 

Second — You  must  obey  promptly  all  directions  given  to  you  either 
by  the  Inspectors,  Warden,  or  Overseers. 

Third — You  must  not  make  any  unnecessary  noise,  either  by  singing, 
whistling,  or  in  any  other  manner;  but  in  all  respects  preserve  becom- 
ing order.  You  must  not  try  to  communicate  with  your  fellow  prisoners 
in  the  adjoining  cells,  either  from  your  own  apartment,  or  during  the 
time  you  are  exercising  in  your  yard. 

Fourth — All  surplus  food  must  be  placed  in  the  vessel  provided  for 
that  purpose;  and  all  wastage  of  materials,  or  other  dirt,  must  be  care- 
fully collected  and  handed  out  of  the  cell,  when  called  for  by  the  Over- 
seer. 

Fifth — You  must  apply  yourself  industriously,  at  whatever  employ- 
ment is  assigned  you;  and  when  your  task  is  finished,  it  is  recommended 
that  your  time  be  devoted  to  the  proper  improvement  of  your  mind, 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  131 

either  in  reading  the  books  provided  for  the  purpose,  or  in  case  you  can- 
not read,  in  learning  to  do  so. 

Sixth — Should  you  have  any  complaint  to  make  against  the  Overseer 
having  charge  of  you,  make  it  to  the  Warden  or  Inspector;  if  against 
the  Warden,  to  an  Inspector. 

Seventh — Be  at  all  times,  in  your  intercourse  with  the  officers  of  the 
penitentiary,  respectful  and  courteous,  and  never  suffer  yourself  to  be 
led  astray  from  your  duties  by  angry  or  revengeful  feelings. 

Eighth — Observe  the  Sabbath;  though  you  are  separated  from  the 
world,  the  day  is  not  the  less  holy. 

The  Inspectors  desire  to  treat  every  prisoner  under  their  charge  with 
humanity  and  kindness;  and  they  hope  that  in  return  the  prisoner  will 
strictly  conform  to  the  rules  adopted  for  his  government,  which  are  not 
merely  advisory,  but  are  a  law  to  him,  especially  the  third,  any  violation 
of  which  will  incur  proper  punishment. 

Special  Notice. — Violations  of  these  rules  or  any  part  of  the  discipline 
of  the  institution,  will  deprive  the  prisoner  of  the  benefit  of  the  "Com- 
mutation Law." 

N.  B. — Not  to  be  defaced  in  any  manner. 

Mr.  Vaux  then  proceeded  to  answer  some  of  the  popular  prejudices 
against  the  separate  system,  and  said: 

The  volume  entitled  "American  Notes,"  by  Mr.  Charles  Dickens,  has 
had  a  large  circulation  in  Europe  and  America.  From  his  description 
of  the  Eastern  Penitentiary,  an  impression  has  doubtless  been  made  on 
the  minds  of  many  persons  corresponding  to  his  published  idea  of  the 
institution.  He  thus  writes  in  regard  to  it: 

"  In  the  outskirts  stands  a  great  prison  called  the  Eastern  Penitentiary, 
conducted  on  a  plan  peculiar  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The  system 
here  is  rigid,  strict,  and  hopeless  solitary  confinement.  I  believe  it  in  its 
effects  to  be  cruel  and  wrong.  In  its  intention,  I  am  well  convinced  that 
it  is  kind,  humane,  and  meant  for  reformation;  but  I  am  persuaded  that 
those  who  devised  this  system  of  prison  discipline,  and  those  benevolent 
gentlemen  who  carry  it  into  execution,  do  not  know  what  it  is  that  they 
are  doing.  I  believe  that  very  few  men  are  capable  of  estimating  the 
immense  amount  of  torture  and  agony  which  this  dreadful  punishment, 
prolonged  for  years,  inflicts  upon  the  sufferers,  and  in  guessing  at  it  myself, 
and  in  reasoning  from  what  I  have  seen  written  upon  their  faces,  and 
what  to  my  certain  knowledge  they  feel  within,  I  am  only  the  more  con- 
vinced that  there  is  a  depth  of  terrible  endurance  in  it  which  none  but 
the  sufferers  themselves  can  fathom,  and  which  no  man  has  a  right  to 
inflict  upon  his  fellow  creature.  *  *  *  I  was  accompanied  to  this  prison 
by  two  gentlemen  officially  connected  with  its  management,  and  passed 
the  day  in  going  from  cell  to  cell  and  talking  with  the  inmates.  Every 
facility  was  afforded  me  that  utmost  courtesy  could  suggest.  Nothing 
was  concealed  or  hidden  from  my  view,  and  every  piece  of  information 
that  I  sought  was  openly  and  frankly  given.  *  *  *  In  another  cell 
there  was  a  German  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment  for  larceny, 
two  of  which  had  just  expired.  With  colors  procured  in  the  same  man- 
ner, he  had  painted  every  inch  of  the  walls  and  ceiling  quite  beautifully. 
He  had  laid  out  the  few  feet  of  ground  behind  with  exquisite  neatness, 
and  had  made  a  little  bed  in  the  center  that  looked,  by  the  bye,  like  a 


132  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

grave.  The  taste  and  ingenuity  he  had  displayed  in  everything  were 
most  extraordinary;  and  yet  a  more  dejected,  heart-broken,  wretched 
creature  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine.  I  never  saw  such  a  picture  of 
forlorn  affliction  and  distress  of  mind.  My  heart  bled  for  him,  and  when 
the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks,  and  he  took  one  of  the  visitors  aside  to 
ask,  with  trembling  hands  nervously  clutching  at  his  coat  to  detain  him, 
whether  there  was  no  hope  of  his  dismal  sentence  being  commuted,  the 
spectacle  was  really  too  painful  to  witness.  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  any 
kind  of  misery  that  impressed  me  more  than  the  wretchedness  of  this 
man." — American  Notes,  vol.  2,  page  246,  A.  D.  1842. 

Mr.  Dickens  visited  at  his  own  special  request  the  Eastern  Penitentiary. 
He  remarked,  when  asking  for  an  opportunity  to  examine  the  institution, 
that  "  the  Falls  of  Niagara  and  your  penitentiary  are  two  objects  I  might 
almost  say  I  most  wish  to  see  in  America."  His  visit  was  thorough. 
He  saw  everything  in  the  penitentiary,  and  all  the  prisoners  that  he  chose 
to  visit.  When  about  to  leave,  he  remarked  to  Mr.  Bevan,  the  President 
of  the  Board,  that  he  "  never  before  saw  a  public  institution  in  which 
the  relation  of  '  father  and  family'  was  so  well  exemplified  as  in  this." 
Not  one  word  of  criticism  or  objection  was  then  or  there  made.  He  did 
not  even  express  a  doubt  of  the  success  of  separate  confinement  as  a 
system  of  prison  discipline.  How  could  he,  for  he  never  understood  it? 
On  his  return  to  England,  his  "  Notes  "  were  published,  from  which  the 
foregoing  extract  is  taken.  Mr.  Dickens'  recollections  of  his  early  life, 
and  the  impression  then  made  on  him  by  its  associations  and  privations, 
perhaps  gave,  beyond  his  power  of  detection,  the  coloring  to  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  penitentiary.  His  delineation  of  character  is  marked  by  the 
strong  contrasts  which  he  paints  in  his  fictions,  and,  therefore,  his 
account  of  his  visit  to  the  "  solitary  prison "  may  be  presumed  to  be 
exaggerated  or  untrustworthy.  The  case  of  the  German  prisoner,  which 
has  been  given  in  full  from  the  "  Notes,"  justifies  this  remark. 

This  German  prisoner,  this  "  picture  of  forlorn  affliction  and  distress 
of  mind,"  this  "  dejected,  heart-broken,  wretched  creature,"  was  sentenced 
to  this  penitentiary  for  the  first  time,  May  15,  1840,  for  five  years;  on 
June  28,  1852,  he  was  sent  to  this  penitentiary  for  one  year;  February 
24,  1855,  he  was  a  third  time  committed  to  this  prison  for  two  years; 
April  4,  1861,  he  came  again  for  one  year;  on  the  12th  of  March,  1872, 
he  returned  to  this  penitentiary  for  two  years.  Thus  this  "  picture  of 
forlorn  affliction  and  distress  of  mind"  is  now  a  living,  hale,  hearty 
man  of  seventy-two  years  of  age,  having  served  out  nine  years  of  im- 
prisonment, under  five  different  sentences,  in  this  penitentiary,  with  all 
its  horrors  and  cruelty,  such  as  "  no  man  has  a  right  to  inflict  on  his 
fellow  man; "  while  the  author  of  the  "American  Notes,"  notwithstanding 
his  associations  and  journeyings,  and  his  life  in  the  midst  of  pleasure 
and  friends,  sleeps  with  "  David  Copperfield." 

So  much  for  crude  and  emotional  criticism  on  an  institution  in  which 
punishment  is  considered  with  the  care,  deliberation,  and  thoughtfulness 
devoted  to  any  other  scientific  question. 

Since  De  Tocqueville,  of  France,  wrote  his  report  on  prison  discipline, 
there  have  been  several  learned  and  eminent  men  who  have  carefully 
investigated  the  subject  of  individual  treatment  of  convicts  as  applied 
under  the  separate  system.  In  Italy,  Belgium,  and  England  many  stu- 
dents of  penal  science,  as  well  as  those  conversant  practically  with  this 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  133 

subject,  have  published  most  interesting  papers  in  defense  of  cellular 
imprisonment. 

In  Philadelphia  there  have  been  contributed  exhaustive  arguments  and 
statistical  information,  derived  from  the  actual  condition  of  the  admin- 
istration of  the  separate  system  at  the  penitentiary  in  that  city,  both  in 
the  reports  of  the  Inspectors  to  the  Legislature  and  from  other  sources. 
Special  reference  is  here  made  to  William  Parker  Faulke's  "  Remarks 
on  Cellular  Separation,"  Philadelphia,  1871;  and  "Journal  of  Prison 
Discipline,"  Philadelphia,  by  the  Hon.  Joseph  R.  Chandler.  The  con- 
tributions by  Francis  Lieber,  LL.D.,  on  the  Pennsylvania  system  are 
well  known.  In  this  connection  it  is  most  proper  to  refer  to  the  book 
of  the  Rev.  J.  Field,  Chaplain  of  the  Reading  (England)  Gaol,  entitled 
"  Prison  Discipline  and  the  Advantages  of  the  Separate  System  of  Im- 
prisonment," 2  vol.,  London,  1848,  Longman,  Brown,  Green  &  Co.,  pub- 
lishers. 

He  then  gave  extracts  from  some  of  the  annual  reports  of  the  In- 
spectors to  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  showing  the  views  of  the 
Inspectors  and  comparisons  with  other  systems: 

In  the  report  of  1830  the  Inspectors  write: 

"  Believing  that  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  discipline  established 
in  the  Western  State  Penitentiary,  near  Pittsburg  (in  regard  to  which 
from  rumor  there  was  some  uncertainty),  might  be  useful  in  estimating 
the  operation  of  that  in  the  East,  the  President  of  the  Board  visited  that 
institution  in  June  last,  to  ascertain  from  personal  inspection  the  char- 
acter of  the  experiment  there  made,  and,  it  is  trusted,  the  Board  can  in 
nowise  be  regarded  as  reflecting  upon  the  highly  respectable  gentlemen 
who  superintend  that  prison,  constructed,  as  it  confessedly  was,  for  soli- 
tary confinement,  unmitigated  by  labor,  in  the  remarks  here  submitted. 
The  ranges  of  cells  being  too  small  and  not  sufficiently  ventilated  and 
lighted  to  be  used  as  workshops,  appeared  to  be  principally  used  as  dor- 
mitories, and  he  was  induced  to  believe  that  convicts  could  not  be  advan- 
tageously employed  therein  at  solitary  labor.  The  building  being  also 
unprovided  with  separate  yards  for  the  different  cells,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  the  health  of  the  prisoners  to  allow  them  to  associate  with  each 
other  in  the  common  yards  in  which  the  sexes  only  appeared  to  be  sepa- 
rated. The  result  of  this  visit  was  a  belief  that  no  inference  can  be 
drawn  from  the  situation  of  a  prison  thus  constructed  (as  some  un- 
friendly to  the  system  appeared  to  think)  prejudicial  to  the  permanency 
of  the  greatly  successful  experiment  of  its  operation  in  the  Eastern  Pen- 
itentiary, in  which  every  prisoner  is  provided  with  a  separate  cell  of 
ample  dimensions  and  with  sufficient  light,  communicating  with  a  sepa- 
rate yard,  for  air  and  exercise. 

"  Unbiased  by  the  speculations  of  enthusiastic  theorists  on  either  side, 
and  unbending  to  the  authority  of  names,  whatever  their  repute,  the 
Legislature  of  this  Commonwealth,  by  its  statute  of  the  twenty-third  of 
April,  1829,  so  far  as  concerned  the  offenses  embraced  in  that  Act,  com- 
mitted the  ancient  penitentiary  system  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  test  of 
actual  experiment  in  a  building  adequate  to  the  purpose,  content  to  abide 
the  event  before  it  should  be  abandoned  or  extended  to  the  whole  calen- 
dar of  penitentiary  offenses.  That  system,  however  imperfectly  enforced 
heretofore,  owing  to  the  faulty  construction  of  our  prisons,  this  Board 


134  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

considers  to  be  briefly  this:  solitary  confinement  at  labor,  with  instruc- 
tion in  labor,  in  morals,  and  in  religion.  .  The  noble  structure  under 
the  direction  of  the  Board,  so  honorable  to  the  liberality  and  philan- 
thropy of  the  State,  has,  for  the  first  time,  presented  the  opportunity  of 
effectually  enforcing  this  mode  of  punishing  and  reforming  the  violators 
of  the  laws  of  society.  In  accordance  with  the  views  of  the  Legislature, 
and  in  the  faithful  execution  of  the  trust  reposed  in  the  Board,  it  is  now 
proposed  to  express  a  judgment  founded  on  actual  experience  of  the  oper- 
ation of  solitary  confinement  with  labor  and  instruction  upon  the  moral 
and  physical  powers  of  the  convicts,  and  of  the  probable  expense  to  the 
counties  of  maintaining  their  prisoners. 

"  The  evidence  of  the  Physician,  with  the  concurring  testimony  of  the 
Warden,  whose  respective  reports  to  the  Board  are  annexed,  and  the 
particular  observation  of  this  Board,  establish  the  fact  that  neither 
insanity  nor  bodily  infirmity  has  been  produced  by  the  mitigated  soli- 
tude in  which  the  prisoners  are  confined.  Absolute  solitude  for  years, 
without  labor  or  moral  or  religious  instruction,  probably  does  bear  too 
severely  upon  a  social  being  like  man,  and  were  such  the  mode  of  pun- 
ishment in  this  institution,  the  Board  would  feel  little  hesitation  in 
recommending  its  repeal,  as  cruel,  because  calculated  to  undermine  the 
moral  and  physical  powers  of  the  prisoner,  and  to  disqualify  him  from 
earning  his  bread  at  the  expiration  of  his  sentence;  as  impolitic,  because, 
when  persisted  in  beyond  a  very  limited  time  it  tends  to  harden  rather 
than  reform  the  offender,  while  it  produces  great  expense  to  the  public, 
the  prisoner  in  no  way  contributing  by  labor  to  his  support.  An  oppor- 
tunity of  witnessing  the  effects  of  absolute  solitude  without  labor  has 
occasionally  been  presented,  when,  as  a  punishment  to  a  sturdy  and  dis- 
orderly convict,  the  Warden  has  ordered  the  light  of  his  cell  to  be  closed; 
little  time  has  elapsed  with  the  most  hardy  before  the  prisoner  has  been 
found  broken  down  in  his  spirit,  and  begging  for  his  work  and  his  Bible, 
to  beguile  the  tedium  of  absolute  idleness  in  solitude." 

From  the  report  of  the  year  1834,  the  following  extract  is  taken: 
"  The  Pennsylvania  system  is  emphatically  a  mild  and  humane  sys- 
tem. Let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  the  condition  of  the  majority  of  those 
who  become  subject  to  its  regulation.  We  find  them  living  a  hurried 
and  thoughtless  life  of  hourly  excitement,  and  shuddering  at  the  possi- 
bility of  a  pause  which  could  let  in  (to  them)  the  demon  reflection.  We 
see  them  wanting  the  ordinary  comforts  of  clothing  and  cleanliness, 
without  home  save  that  afforded  by  chance  companionship.  We  find 
them  in  the  brothel  and  the  ginshop,  giving  up  to  all  manner  of  excesses, 
indulging  in  every  extreme  of  vice,  self-degraded  and  brutal.  We  see 
them  corrupted  and  corrupting,  initiating  new  candidates  in  the  race  of 
misery  and  dragging  them  in  their  own  vortex  to  a  death  of  infamy  and 
horror.  Where  do  we  place  them,  and  how  do  we  treat  them?  They  are 
taken  to  the  bath  and  cleansed  of  outward  pollution,  they  are  newly  clad 
in  warm  and  comfortable  garments,  they  are  placed  in  an  apartment 
infinitely  superior  to  what  they  have  been  accustomed,  they  are  given 
employment  to  enable  them  to  live  by  their  own  industry,  they  are 
addressed  in  the  language  of  kindness,  interest  is  shown  in  their  pres- 
ent and  future  welfare,  they  are  advised  and  urged  to  think  of  their 
former  course  and  to  avoid  it,  they  are  lifted  gently  from  their  state  of 
humiliation;  self-degradation  is  removed,  and  self-esteem  inducted. 
Pride  of  character  and  manliness  is  inculcated,  and  they  go  out  of  prison 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  135 

unknown  as  convicts,  determined  to  wrestle  for  a  living  in  the  path  of 
honesty  and  virtue.  Is  not  this  humane?  The  object  of  all  prison 
establishments  should  be  to  reclaim.  The  separation  of  convicts  affords 
facilities  (which  would  be  impossible  under  other  circumstances)  to  treat 
each  individual  case  in  a  manner  best  adapted  to  that  result.  There 
are  no  doubt  some  criminals  who  are  incorrigible,  but  even  with  these 
the  vindictive  feelings  usually  generated  by  prison  discipline  find  no 
place,  and  they  leave  the  establishment  with  sentiments  of  regard  rather 
than  resentment,  towards  those  who  have  attempted  to  alter  their  vicious 
habits.  We  are  unwilling  to  make  any  remarks  which  may  appear 
invidious,  but  we  ask  that  a  single  glance  shall  be  taken  at  any  of  the 
other  plans  now  in  operation,  and  then  let  it  be  answered  whether  the 
Pennsylvania  system  does  not  possess  distinctive  features  which  entirely 
change  the  relationship  of  prisoners  towards  society,  and  whether  it  does 
not  embrace  an  extensive  plan  of  amelioration  of  their  condition." 

In  the  report  for  1836,  the  Inspectors  say: 

"Although  a  definite  labor  appears  to  be  assigned,  yet  inasmuch  as 
the  Inspectors  may  be  looked  upon  as  public  agents  in  this  particular 
department,  it  is  hoped  they  will  not  be  considered  as  stepping  out  of 
their  province  if  they  take  a  more  enlarged  view  of  the  subject  than 
these  limits  seem  to  prescribe.  The  present  Inspectors  stand  in  a  pecul- 
iar relation  to  the  Commonwealth;  they  were  the  friends  and  associates 
of  the  promoters  of  the  system,  and  were  in  the  habit  of  discussing  the 
subject  of  penitentiary  regulations  in  all  its  bearings.  They  were  fully 
imbued  with  the  principles  and  views  of  its  advocates,  and  the  majority 
of  them  took  an  active  part  in  calling  into  operation  the  schemes  of 
those  who  felt  the  necessity  of  a  reform  in  the  criminal  jurisprudence  of 
the  State. 

"  The  experiment  at  the  time  was  a  bold  one,  and  was  attended  with 
difficulties  at  its  commencement  that  would  have  dampened  the  courage 
of  any  set  of  men  less  persuaded  of  the  practicability  of  a  plan  which 
years  of  deliberation  had  decided  to  be  the  true  one.  Opposed  at  home 
by  a  respectable  number  of  our  fellow  citizens,  who,  with  views  quite  as 
honest,  held  adverse  opinions;  its  main  principles  questioned  by  a  Com- 
mission of  our  own  State  especially  instituted  to  examine  the  subject; 
assailed  by  the  official  agent  of  an  influential  and  indefatigable  society 
of  a  sister  State,  because  it  conflicted  with  his  favorite  system;  attacked 
from  abroad  by  persons  of  high  consideration  in  the  moral  and  political 
world,  who  had  become  endeared  to  America  by  their  military  and  other 
services,  the  friends  of  the  Pennsylvania  system  held  their  course  un- 
checked, and  with  steadiness  and  perseverance  worthy  the  cause,  made 
their  opinions  public  sentiment,  and  the  State  at  length  passed  the  law 
which  will  render  her  character  for  philanthropy  preeminent. 

"  The  experiment  at  the  outset  was  attended  with  an  expense  which 
even  a  great  nation  has  paused  to  incur,  and  is  only  to  be  reconciled  by 
the  prevalent  humanity  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  which  yearned 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  her  criminals,  and  to  substitute  a  moral 
and  wholesome  atmosphere  in  lieu  of  the  vicious  miasma  which  pervades 
great  communities. 

"  Accustomed  to  look  at  the  great  results  of  the  law,  the  Inspectors 
hold  themselves  excused,  if  in  attempting  to  satisfy  the  public  mind  as 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  measure,  they  should  take  a  more  comprehensive 
view  of  the  subject  than  may  seem  to  be  required  by  the  letter  of  the 


136  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

Act  of  their  appointment.  Being  called  upon  to  attend  to  the  operation 
of  a  system  which  was  urged  upon  the  State,  and  to  test  a  theory  by  its 
practical  results,  the  duty  was  entered  upon  with  much  anxiety  and 
some  little  distrust,  and  the  Board  have  hitherto  delayed  a  positive 
assertion  in  its  favor,  until  it  is  forced  from  them  by  evidence  which 
appears  to  be  incontestable." 

The  report  for  1844  contains  the  following: 

"The  Inspectors  believe  that  the  following  conclusions  irresistibly 
present  themselves,  as  the  result  of  the  above  comparison  of  the  two 
systems: 

"1.  That  the  separate  system  prevents  the  commission  of  crime. 

"  2.  That  it  is  preeminently  calculated  to  induce  and  effect  reform  in 
the  minds  of  the  prisoners. 

"  3.  That  the  health  of  the  prisoners  is  equal  to  that  of  any  community, 
and  is  not,  in  the  least,  injuriously  affected  by  the  system. 

"  4.  That  mortality,  under  the  separate  system,  is  not  greater  than 
that  of  any  other  system  of  prison  discipline. 

"  5.  That  the  discipline,  and  the  proper  administration  of  the  system, 
are  superior  to  all  others. 

"  6.  That,  of  the  objections  which  have  been  urged  against  the  system, 
none  have  been  realized. 

"  It  may  be  proper  here  to  remark,  that  the  term  '  solitary  or  separate 
confinement '  refers  to  the  fact  that  each  prisoner  is  '  alone,'  in  contra- 
distinction to  the  '  aggregate  confinement,'  or  '  silent  system,'  where 
prisoners  are  in  gangs,  or  together  in  large  or  small  numbers.  The 
prisoners  in  the  separate  or  solitary  prisons  have  the  same  intercourse 
with  all  but  their  fellow  convicts,  and  an  idle  curiosity,  as  in  other 
systems;  and  the  idea  that  prisoners  are  shut  up,  and  shut  out,  from  all 
intercommunication  with  the  good  and  the  instructive,  is  an  error — a 
gross  error.  They  have  that,  at  all  times,  besides  almost  hourly  inter- 
course with  their  Overseers  and  other  officers  of  the  prison. 

"  In  the  last  annual  report  of  the  Inspectors,  they  say,  that  '  fully 
impressed  with  the  necessity  of  a  watchful  care  over  the  moral  and 
mental  improvement  of  the  prisoners,  as  constituting  a  fundamental 
principle  in  this,  as  in  all  penitentiary  reform,  we  are  endeavoring  to  effect 
some  improvements  in  the  present  plan  of  such  instruction,  particularly 
as  relates  to  the  education  in  reading  and  writing,  thereby  to  enlarge 
the  number  of  those  who  obtain  this  knowledge  while  in  confinement.' 

"Within  the  last  year  the  moral  and  rudimental  instruction  has  been 
divided.  The  former  has  been  left,  as  heretofore,  under  the  law,  together 
with  such  religious  teaching  as  each  prisoner  may  desire,  and  from 
whatever  professional  teacher  he  may  select.  The  latter  has  been 
intrusted  to  a  competent  person,  who  acts  as  an  Overseer  when  required. 
Ample  time  is  thus  given  to  both  branches  of  learning;  and  thus  a 
schoolmaster  has  been  successfully  introduced  into  the  prison,  whose 
chief  duty  it  is  to  teach  the  ignorant  to  read  and  write,  and  practical 
arithmetic." 

The  Inspectors  in  their  report  for  1846  report  as  follows: 

"  What  may  be  the  analogy  between  crime  and  disease,  so  far  as  relates 
to  general  cause  and  effect  in  the  moral  and  physical  constitution,  is  not 
intended  to  be  here  the  subject  of  discussion.  It  may,  however,  become 
the  theme  for  serious  and  important  inquiry  and  examination. 

"  The  causes  of  crime  as  certainly  exist  as  the  causes  of  disease,  for 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  137 

both  are  but  effects  in  themselves.  Some  crimes  are  committed  from 
an  imperfection  in  the  moral  organization,  while  others  are  the  result 
of  sudden  and  exciting  moral  affections;  the  former  will  continue  to  be 
repeated  so  long  as  the  cause  remains,  and  the  latter  may  never  occur 
again,  because  the  excitement  may  never  reappear.  The  effect  of  pun- 
ishment in  these  two  cases  would  be  different,  and  hence  a  primary 
object  of  punishment  should  be  to  correct  the  cause  of  the  moral  dis- 
turbance which  has  produced  the  crime.  The  separate  system  is  pecul- 
iarly adapted  to  such  purpose,  and  as  the  subject  of  prison  discipline 
continues  to  receive  the  attention  of  the  intelligent  observer,  unforeseen 
benefits  may  result  from  the  adaptation  of  punishment  to  the  correction 
or  remedy  for  these  moral  disorders. 

"  The  aim  and  end  of  imprisonment  for  crime  is  punishment,  as  the 
first  consequence;  and  in  considering  the  subject  of  penitentiary  disci- 
pline, care  should  be  taken  not  to  lose  sight  of  this  primary  object.  The 
law  consigns  the  convict  to  restraint  of  his  personal  liberty  in  a  prison 
for  a  violation  or  infraction  of  its  decrees,  and  in  the  prison  he  is  to  be 
subjected  to  treatment  which  is  in  unison  with  the  object  for  which 
he  was  sentenced.  The  judgment  of  conviction  is  but  a  forfeiture  of 
certain  natural  rights,  as  a  recompense  to  society  for  his  inability  td 
regard  and  obey  those  regulations  which  have  been  established  for  the 
protection  of  the  rights  of  individuals  which  constitute  such  community. 
At  this  point  the  power  of  the  law  ceases  over  the  convict,  for  it  has 
exhausted  its  power  in  the  accomplishment  of  all  its  ends.  By  the  pres- 
ent enlightened  policy  of  our  State  Penitentiary  discipline,  the  convict 
thus  situated,  while  undergoing  punishment,  is  sought  to  be  improved, 
benefited,  reformed.  In  this,  society  has  a  deep  interest;  for  if  the  con- 
vict at  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  imprisonment  is  improved  in  his 
moral  character,  encouraged  to  refrain  from  the  commission  of  offenses 
against  the  law,  reformed  in  his  habits,  and  taught  those  religious  or 
moral  lessons  of  practical  utility  which  will  avail  him  on  his  again 
commingling  with  society — deterred  by  punishment  from  crime — the 
community  has  gained  twofold  by  such  an  imprisonment;  it  has  pun- 
ished and  improved  a  prisoner,  and  made  an  example  for  the  warning 
of  all  who  are,  or  may  be  disposed  to  become,  enemies  of  social  order. 

"  To  these  ends  the  separate  system  of  penitentiary  discipline  is 
eminently  conducive;  and  as  they  are  and  ever  should  be  the  prominent 
features  of  prison  discipline,  that  system  which  promotes  them  with  the 
most  certainty  and  effect  should  be  considered  as  the  best  adapted  to  the 
purposes  which  an  enlightened  people,  a  regenerated  Penal  Code,  and  the 
instincts  of  a  just  and  benevolent  public  opinion,  should  seek  to  attain. 
Pennsylvania  has  nobly  set  the  example;  she  made  the  experiment  at 
a  time  when  doubts  and  difficulties,  impediment  and  hinderance,  were 
clouding  the  prospect;  but  year  after  year  has  brought  to  light  the  wis- 
dom of  the  founders  of  the  system,  and  added  proof  upon  proof  of  its 
complete  success.  It  is  now  no  longer  an  experiment;  but  the  separate 
system  of  prison  discipline  speaks  in  the  voice  of  experience,  subjected 
to  the  test  of  strict  trial,  to  the  spirit  of  progress  of  this  age.  Its  argu- 
ments are  facts;  and  its  power  of  convincement  over  the  minds  of  the 
enlightened,  and  unbiased,  and  unprejudiced,  is  found  to  exist  in  the 
cumulative  evidence  which  is  adduced  to  maintain  that  all  it  ever  prom- 
ised has  been  more  than  realized. 

"  Irrespective  of  the  results  which  are  to  be  found  in  our  own  State 


138  KEFORMATOKY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

and  Federal  Union  in  support  of  the  great  features  of  our  prison  reform 
and  meliorated  discipline,  the  testimony  of  France,  England,  and  Prus- 
sia is  fully  sufficient  to  seal  its  success.  In  these  countries  the  system 
has  been  subjected  to  the  most  scrutinizing  examination,  and  the  most 
able  and  distinguished  champions  of  social  improvement  have,  after 
long  and  arduous  inquiry,  awarded  to  the  Pennsylvania  system  their 
support.  However  these  lights  may  be  sought  to  be  kept  '  hidden  under 
a  bushel,'  they  have  nevertheless  shown  in  the  brightness  of  honest  con- 
viction. It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  improvements  are  not,  or  have  not 
been  suggested,  on  the  plan  of  the  administration  of  the  separate  sys- 
tem; this  has  never  been  asserted;  but  whatever  these  improvements 
may  be,  so  long  as  the  distinctive  features  of  the  Pennsylvania  plan  are 
adhered  to,  so  long  will  that  system  remain  in  its  original  integrity. 
These  features  are:  Separation  of  the  prisoners  from  each  other  at  all 
times;  moral  and  intellectual  improvement;  honest  and  persuasive 
efforts  to  reform  and  reclaim  the  prisoners;  prevention,  by  this  con- 
stant separation  from  each  other,  of  the  evil  of  contamination  and 
the  prejudicial  influence  which  must  arise  from  the  association  of  the 
more  or  less  hardened  offenders;  the  prevention,  by  separation,  of  the 
acquaintance  and  knowledge  which  the  community  of  evil-minded  per- 
sons obtain  of  each  other  by  association  in  the  place  of  punishment; 
the  ability  which  is  afforded,  by  the  separation  of  offenders,  to  individ- 
ualize the  corrective  and  reformatory  treatment  best  suited  to  their 
peculiar  characters;  the  almost  certain  consequence  which  results  from 
the  separate  system,  of  making  those  no  worse  who  cannot  be  made 
better  by  the  infliction  of  the  punishment  they  undergo;  the  addition  of 
all  improvements  which  experience  and  not  mere  theory  suggests  in  the 
improvement  of  the  moral  and  physical  condition  of  the  prisoners. 

"  These  are  the  principles  on  which  the  Pennsylvania  system  is  based; 
these  rendered  it  antagonistical  to  the  congregate  system.  If  experience 
has  proved  that  one  plan  is  better  than  the  other,  if  the  prisoner  and 
the  community  are  benefited  by  the  operation  of  one  rather  than  the 
other,  then  to  the  best  mode  the  other  must  give  place.  Improve  the 
details  of  administration  as  they  require  and  as  experience  suggests,  and 
the  consequences  must  be  that  these  improvements  will  only  tend  to 
increase  the  superiority  of  the  separate  system  over  all  others." 

In  the  forty-second  report  of  the  Inspectors  to  the  Legislature,  dated 
February  27,  1871,  they  say: 

"It  will  be  observed  by  the  returns  made  by  the  Inspectors  in  this 
report  that  a  large  number  of  prisoners  have  been  sentenced  for  un- 
usually long  terms  of  imprisonment.  These  were  for  crimes  of  the 
highest  grades,  and  the  individuals  are  reported  to  be  men  of  dangerous 
character  in  society.  When  it  is  known  that  by  the  commutation  law 
a  ten-year  sentence  can,  by  the  '  good  conduct '  of  the  prisoner,  be  dimin- 
ished by  at  least  twenty-three  months,  based  on  the  ratio  directed  in 
the  law,  there  is  no  real  advantage  to  the  public  from  these  sentences. 
The  words  of  the  law  are:  '  One  month  on  each  of  the  first  two  years, 
of  two  months  on  each  succeeding  year  to  the  fifth  year,  and  of  three 
months  on  each  following  year  to  the  tenth  year,  and  of  four  months  on 
each  remaining  year  of  the  term  of  their  sentence.'  It  never  has  been 
the  opinion  of  the  Inspectors  of  this  penitentiary  that  long  sentences  to 
this  institution,  or  any  penitentiary  on  the  separate  or  individual  treat- 
ment system,  are  productive  of  benefits  to  the  State  or  the  convict.  The 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  139 

certainty  of  punishment  is  more  to  be  regarded  than  its  duration,  so  far 
as  society  is  protected  and  crime  punished  by  the  example  of  convic- 
tions of  offenders.  Time  is  no  true  element  in  punishment  by  impris- 
onment. Long  sentences  do  not  reform  the  individual,  nor  protect  the 
public  security,  nor  produce  that  fear  in  the  crime-class  which  prevents 
their  committing  crime.  The  fact  that  every  offender  is  punished  for 
his  crime  has  the  effect  which  is  sought  to  be  produced  by  penal  laws. 

"In  the  Massachusetts  State  Penitentiary  during  the  year  ending 
September  30,  1870,  there  was  a  total  population  of  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-four  convicts.  Of  these  sixty-three  were  pardoned.  The  sen- 
tences of  six  of  those  were  for  life,  six  for  ten  years,  two  for  twenty 
years,  two  for  fifteen  years,  and  the  others  for  from  one  to  ten  years 
each.  The  better  way  to  state  it  will  be  to  say  that  of  fifty-seven  prison- 
ers, the  six  for  life  omitted,  the  average  sentence  was  seven  years  three 
months  and  eleven  days,  while  the  time  served  when  they  were  par- 
doned was  four  years  two  months  and  eight  days.  It  is  not,  therefore, 
a  patent  remedy  for  heinous  offenses  that  the  convict  is  sentenced  for 
long  terms,  or  even  '  for  life '  imprisonment  in  that  State,  where,  it  is 
to  be  presumed,  the  action  of  the  public  authorities  is  governed  by  integ- 
rity, wisdom,  and  intelligence. 

"  It  is  stated  that  the  Executive  of  the  State  of  New  York  during  the 
year  1870  issued  eighty-five  pardons,  thirty-four  commutations,  and  one 
reprieve.  Of  the  pardons,  sixteen  were  on  account  of  ill  health;  five, 
insane;  ten,  innocent;  and  three  for  discovering  plots  among  prisoners. 
Of  the  pardoned  prisoners,  two  were  sentenced  for  twenty  years,  five  for 
fifteen  years,  nine  for  ten  years,  one  for  nineteen  years,  two  for  life,  and 
three  were  sentenced  to  be  hung.  All  but  two  were  sentenced  since  1860. 

"  No  reference  is  here  made  of  the  '  commutation '  for  shorter  periods 
of  imprisonment  than  the  sentence. 

"  During  the  year  1870,  of  the  nine  hundred  and  fifty-three  total  pop- 
ulation in  this  penitentiary,  fourteen  were  pardoned.  Of  these,  thirteen 
were  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  by  the  United  States:  for 
ill  health,  none;  insane,  none — all  fourteen  for  special  reasons. 

"The  average  term  of  sentences  was  three  years  nine  months  and 
twenty-three  days;  and  the  average  time  served,  one  year  eight  months 
and  one  day. 

"To  a  prison  on  the  separate  system  the  average  sentences  for  the 
lesser  degrees  of  crime,  when  punishment  promptly  follows  the  offense, 
might  be  fixed  at  two  years  as  the  maximum,  while  a  five  years'  sentence 
in  most  cases  might  be  sufficient  for  those  offenses  in  the  commission  of 
which  human  life  was  not  put  in  peril.  For  young  offenders,  for  the 
first  offense,  it  is  very  questionable  if  any  advantage  results  to  society 
or  the  individual  by  a  longer  imprisonment  than  one  year,  unless  for 
exceptional  cases. 

"  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  primary  object  of  a  wise  administration 
of  penal  laws,  regulating  the  punishment  by  imprisonment  of  individ- 
uals, should  be  to  prevent  the  creation  of  a  crime-class  by  the  associa- 
tion of  convicts  in  communities  after  their  imprisonment  is  terminated. 
The  consequences  resulting  from  such  a  state  of  things  are  to  be  feared, 
since  by  this  association  desperate  men,  each  known  to  the  other  to 
have  been  a  convict,  conspire  to  commit  crimes,  and  by  this  association 
they  more  easily  escape  arrest  and  defy  conviction.  The  separate  sys- 
tem of  imprisonment,  on  this  ground,  is  a  protection  to  the  public,  while 


140  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

it  presents  the  best  opportunity  for  introducing  to  the  convict's  attention 
those  reformatory  agencies  which  it  is  the  part  of  Christian  benevolence 
ever  to  hold  out  to  the  just  and  the  unjust. 

"  The  Inspectors  feel  justified  in  calling  to  the  attention  of  the  Legis- 
lature the  most  gratifying  fact  that  in  other  States  some  of  the  promi- 
nent features  of  the  administration  of  the  Pennsylvania  system  of 
penitentiary  discipline  are  receiving  both  recognition  and  approval.  For 
many  years  past  the  Inspectors,  in  their  annual  reports  to  your  honor- 
able bodies,  have  given  the  convictions  of  their  judgment,  from  practical 
experience,  that  the  government  of  penal  institutions  should  be  intrusted 
to  those  whose  capacity,  knowledge,  experience,  and  integrity  alone 
qualify  them  for  such  responsible  duties.  It  has  been  found  in  this 
penitentiary  that  honesty  and  capability,  with  intelligent  observation 
of  the  practical  working  of  the  system  of  punishment,  on  the  part  of 
the  executive  officers,  were  essential  to  secure  the  purposes  of  peniten- 
tiary discipline.  Frequent  change  in  the  executive  officers,  or  their 
selection  on  any  other  recommendation  than  fitness  and  fidelity,  has 
ever  been  condemned  as  most  injurious  to  the  interests  intrusted  to  the 
Inspectors  to  guard.  Almost  alone  in  these  opinions  for  so  long  a  period 
of  time,  it  is  now  with  great  satisfaction  the  Inspectors  learn  that  the 
Prison  Discipline  Association  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  a  public 
meeting,  adopted  a  "Memorial"  to  the  authorities  of  that  State,  which 
thus  gives  testimony  in  support  of  the  Pennsylvania  practice  in  this 
respect: 

" '  The  remedy  which  the  association  proposes  is  a  radical  one,  involv- 
ing an  entire  change  in  the  organization  of  the  government  of  the  pris- 
ons. Their  examination  has  extended  over  the  whole  period  of  the 
existence  of  the  present  form  "of  that  government.  They  say: 

" '  By  the  Constitution,  all  the  State  Prisons  are  put  wholly  under  the 
government  of  three  Inspectors,  who  hold  office  for  three  years,  and  are 
elected  one  every  year,  and  who  superintend  the  State  Prisons  and  appoint 
all  the  officers  therein.  They  are  called  Inspectors,  but  are  in  fact  gov- 
ernors of  the  prisons  and  controllers  of  the  system,  subject  to  no  super- 
vision or  inspection,  except  such  as  the  Legislature  may  direct,  and  that 
of  the  imperfect  power  given  to  the  Prison  Association.  Every  year  one 
of  them  is  thrown  into  the  arena  of  party  politics.' 

"The  'Memorial'  proposes  the  State  Constitution  to  be  amended  so 
that— 

"'There  shall  be  a  Board  of  Managers  of  Prisons,  to  be  composed  of 
five  persons  appointed  by  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  Senate,  who  shall  hold  office  for  ten  years. 

" '  That  Board  shall  have  the  charge  and  superintendence  of  the  pris- 
ons, and  have  such  powers  and  perform  such  duties  in  respect  to  other 
prisons  in  the  State  as  the  Legislature  may  prescribe. 

" '  They  shall  appoint  a  Secretary,  who  shall  be  removable  at  their 
pleasure,  and  perform  such  duties  as  the  Legislature  or  Board  may  direct, 
and  receive  a  salary  to  be  determined  by  law. 

" '  The  Board  shall  appoint  the  Warden,  Clerk,  Physician,  and  Chap- 
lain of  each  State  Prison,  and  shall  have  power  to  remove  them  for  cause 
only,  after  opportunity  to  be  heard  on  written  charges. 

"  'All  other  officers  of  each  prison  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Warden 
thereof,  and  be  removable  at  his  pleasure. 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  141 

'' '  The  Governor  may  remove  any  of  the  Managers  for  misconduct  or 
neglect  of  duty,  after  opportunity  to  be  heard  on  written  charges. 

" '  The  five  Managers  first  appointed  shall,  as  the  Legislature  may 
direct,  be  so  classified  that  the  term  of  one  shall  expire  at  the  end  of 
each  two  years  during  the  first  ten  years. 

" '  This  amendment  shall  go  into  effect  on  the  first  Monday  of  January 
next  after  its  adoption  by  the  people.' 

"  If  you,  gentlemen  of  the  Legislature,  will  refer  to  the  recent  reports 
from  the  Inspectors  of  this  State  Penitentiary,  you  will  observe  that  the 
'  contract  system '  of  employing  convict  labor  has  been  condemned  as 
most  injurious  to  society,  unjust,  and  unworthy  of  an  enlightened  civili- 
zation. 

"  Under  this  plan  of  working  convicts,  in  congregation,  by  contract 
with  employers,  every  consideration  but  the  benefit  of  the  convict  was 
absorbed  in  profit  making  out  of  the  criminals  whom  the  State  punished 
for  violating  its  laws.  This  profit  was  the  claimed  advantage  of  this 
plan  of  labor,  so  unworthy  of  a  people  who  thus  justified  the  brutalizing 
of  those  who  were  young,  or  convicted  for  a  first  offense,  as  well  as  those 
who  had,  it  might  be,  some  redeeming  characteristics,  in  one  common 
mass  with  the  atrocious  and  hardened  veteran  in  a  life  of  crime.  The 
Inspectors,  in  these  reports,  were  the  only  protestants  against  this  con- 
tract system.  The  experience,  however,  of  the  society  alluded  to  has,  at 
last,  enabled  it,  in  the  '  Memorial '  to  which  reference  has  been  made, 
thus  to  condemn  this  plan  of  prison  labor. 

"Thus  the  'Memorial'  continues: 
*         *         *         ********* 

" '  On  the  other  side  of  the  account  this  tendency  to  augmentation  does 
not  seem  to  have  prevailed  to  the  same  extent.  In  Sing  Sing,  in  1847, 
convicts  put  on  contracts  were  let  at  35  cents  a  day;  in  1869,  they  were 
let  at  from  30  to  40  cents  a  day.  In  Auburn  they  were  let,  in  1847,  at 
from  30  to  50  cents  a  day;  and  in  1869,  at  an  average  of  50  cents  a  day. 
Thus  while  the  rate  of  wages,  inuring  to  the  benefit  of  the  State,  increased 
not  over  50  per  cent,  the  expenditures,  at  the  cost  of  the  State,  increased 
during  the  same  period  at  the  rate  of  300  per  cent.  The  contract  system 
seeming,  even  to  the  Inspectors,  to  be  a  failure,  they  have  attempted  within 
the  last  five  or  six  years  to  abandon  it  in  a  measure,  and  have  had  re- 
course to  labor  conducted  under  their  immediate  supervision,  with  what 
success  the  foregoing  statements  show.  Within  the  past  frve  years,  from 
1865  to  1869,  inclusive,  the  deficiency  of  earnings  to  pay  expenses  has 
been  $1,094,151  05;  an  amount  larger  than  the  deficiencies  of  the  whole 
previous  eighteen  years;  and  the  appropriations  from  the  State  treasury 
have  been  $4,193,760  07,  being  about  equal  in  amount  to  the  appropria- 
tions for  all  those  previous  years.' 

"  Again  from  this  '  Memorial:' 

" '  The  effort,  however,  during  the  whole  of  the  last  twenty-two  years 
has  been  a  failure,  and  is,  year  after  year,  becoming  more  signally  and 
disastrously  so. 

" '  The  following  is  a  table  of  the  number  of  prisoners  at  the  begin- 
ning and  at  the  end  of  the  present  system: 


142 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


1848. 

1869. 

473 

950 

604 

1,279 

84 

130 

"Clinton                            -  

181 

504 

Asylum  (not  built  until  1859)  

78 

Totals                               

1,342 

2,932 

Increase,  119  per  cent. 


Expenditures  for  the  Same  Period. 


1848. 

1869. 

Female  ...  

$11,790  54 

$25,856  26 

Sing  Sing 

97,221  41 

351,032  57 

Auburn  

66,969  41 

171,015  81 

•Clinton                         -   -     .         .. 

41,510  16 

317,309  70 

Asylum  

13,954  92 

Totals  

$217,491  52 

$879,219  26 

Increase,  over  300  per  cent. 

" '  The  following  shows  the  condition  of  affairs  from  the  beginning  of 
the  system  to  the  present  day: 

Table  of  Progress  from  18$  to  1869,  inclusive. 


YEARS. 

Number  of 
Prisoners. 

Expendi- 
tures. 

Earnings. 

Deficits. 

1847... 

1,421 

$125833  85 

$120  860  08 

$4973  77 

1848  

1366 

204091  80 

110658  94 

93432  86 

1849  

1380 

188754  74 

139285  34 

49469  40 

1850  

1621 

208397  74 

158422  25 

50975  49 

1851  

1,703 

266011  20 

178914  09 

27097  11 

1852  

1,852 

211,751  80 

193,303  11 

18448  69 

1853  

1967 

250818  24 

216  110  65 

34  707  59 

1854  

2005 

272413  03 

213  178  03 

59235  00 

1855  

1957 

233445  59 

197230  29 

35  215  30 

1856  

1910 

223477  99 

197  105  13 

25372  66 

1857  

1  890 

212  714  17 

191  783  63 

9Q  930  54 

1858  

2126 

250356  02 

149  173  93 

101  182  04 

1859  

2538 

279333  68 

189836  52 

89497  16 

1860  

2*729 

291  744  69 

238627  56 

53  117  13 

1861  

2818 

388904  76 

265  559  78 

93  351  gg 

1862  

2697 

294  685  57 

228*481  51 

66204  06 

1863  

2131 

291  216  53 

928330  74 

62  885  79 

1864  

1915 

342  794  55 

255957  81 

86  836  63 

1865  

1  885 

414  713  30 

202506  57 

212  306  73 

1866  

2368 

463  995  46 

229413  83 

234  581  63 

1867  

2*920 

779579  61 

600013  43 

179566  18 

1868  

2881 

844  373  93 

601  630  05 

242  734  88 

1869  

2930 

879  219  26 

654  157  68 

225061  63 

Making  an  aggregate  deficit  in 
twenty-three  years  of  

$1997084  45 

'  The  foregoing  statements,  though  they  show  a  result  sufficiently 
disastrous  to  convince  the  association  that  the  present  system  is  finan- 
cially a  failure,  do  not  show  the  whole  extent  of  the  disaster.' 

"  These  quotations  from  the  '  Memorial'  are  made  with  satisfaction, 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  143 

because  they  are  most  important  testimony  in  themselves,  and  unwill- 
ingly sustain  the  Inspectors  of  this  penitentiary  in  their  expressed  opin- 
ions on  the  subject,  and  show  that  the  time  is  coming  when  the  broader 
and  more  philosophic  views  of  penitentiary  discipline  which  a  scientific 
examination  of  so  increasingly  important  a  subject  will  produce,  may 
yet  become  triumphant  over  the  ignorance  of  bigotry,  or  the  baser, 
ignoble,  and  narrow  motives  which  have  so  long  controlled  the  partisan 
management  of  institutions  too  generally  considered  only  as  public 
receptacles  for  convicted  felons.  It  would  have  been  worthy  of  those  who 
in  this  '  Memorial'  have  so  thoroughly  exposed  the  evils  against  which 
they  invoke  rebuke  and  remedy,  if  they  had,  at  least,  given  to  Pennsyl- 
vania some  credit  for  a  consistent  opposition  to  them.  It  would  have 
been  simple  justice  to  our  State,  to  have  pointed  to  her  as  an  example 
for  the  reforms  which  the  '  Memorial '  now  so  markedly  approves  and 
advocates  in  the  penitentiaries  of  New  York. 

"  The  following  extract  from  the  '  Memorial'  is  so  thorough  a  justifi- 
cation of  the  discipline,  as  well  as  the  '  separate  system'  itself,  con- 
trasted with  the  '  congregate  plan,'  now  adopted  in  New  York,  and 
heretofore  claimed  to  be  the  best  system  of  prison  government,  that  it 
needs  no  comment: 

"  '  MORAL  ADMINISTRATION. — It  is  now  about  twenty-five  years  since  a 
change  was  introduced  into  the  moral  government  of  our  prisons.  Prior 
to  that  time  the  prominent  ideas  had  been  punishment  and  earnings. 
This  change  was  the  introduction  of  rewards  as  well  as  punishments, 
and  keeping  the  reformation  of  the  prisoners  in  view  as  the  main  object. 
Appended  is  a  brief  enumeration  of  the  measures  employed,  of  their 
defective  execution,  and  of  the  benefits  that  may  result  from  them. 

" '  The  Mode  of  Enforcing  Obedience. — Formerly  it  was  by  means  of  the 
whip,  but  with  occasional  resorts  to  other  means  of  violence.  In  1830 
the  use  of  the  whip  was  abolished  among  the  females,  and  in  1849 
among  the  males,  except  in  cases  of  insurrection,  revolt,  and  self-defense. 
The  substitute  provided  for  it  by  law  was  solitary  confinement;  and  in 
the  latter  year  the  law  directed  solitary  cells  for  that  purpose  to  be  built 
in  all  the  prisons.  Those  cells  have  not  yet  been  built,  and  during  the 
succeeding  twenty  years  other  means  of  force  were  resorted  to,  until,  in 
1869,  such  means,  so  far  as  they  assumed  the  form  of  the  "  shower-bath, 
crucifix,  and  yoke  and  buck,"  were  forbidden.  This  was  done  without 
providing  any  substitutes,  and  the  consequences  were  disastrous.  As 
soon  as  the  passage  of  the  law  was  known,  a  general  uneasiness  in  all 
the  prisons  was  shown.  This  was  followed  by  individual  acts  of  vio- 
lence. At  Auburn  a  keeper  was  assaulted  by  a  convict,  struck  down  by 
a  hammer,  and  his  life  saved  only  by  the  interposition  of  another  con- 
vict. At  Clinton  a  keeper  was  stabbed,  and  disabled  for  life;  and  at 
Sing  Sing  a  keeper  was  struck  down  by  a  bar  of  iron,  and  the  officers 
fired  upon  by  a  convict.  Then  ensued  more  general  movements.  At 
Auburn  whole  shops  refused  to  work.  At  Sing  Sing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  convicts,  on  one  day,  and  some  five  hundred  or  six  hundred  the 
next  day,  refused  to  work;  and  at  Clinton  there  was  a  general  con- 
spiracy to  escape,  which  was  fortunately  discovered  in  time  to  be  pre- 
vented. At  Sing  Sing  twenty,  at  Auburn  twelve,  and  at  Clinton  ten  of 
the  ringleaders  were  kept  in  irons  and  chained  to  the  cells  for  several 
months,  and  it  is  believed  that  nothing  but  the  action  of  the  well-dis- 
posed among  the  prisoners  prevented  more  general  outbreaks,  and  per- 


144  REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

haps  an  emptying  of  our  prisons  of  the  great  body  of  their  inmates. 
The  use  of  blows  upon  the  prisoners  is  forbidden  only  in  our  State 
Prisons.  In  all  the  local  penitentiaries,  to  which  many  of  our  State 
prisoners  have  been  removed,  it  is  still  allowed;  and  in  the  State  Prisons 
it  seems  to  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  officer  immediately  in  charge 
to  determine  what  is  the  condition  of  revolt,  insurrection,  or  self-defense, 
which  will  justify  a  resort  to  the  whip.  A  general  system  of  discipline 
to  prevail  alike  in  all  the  prisons,  and  which  shall  prevent  the  officers 
immediately  affected  by  disorder  from  acting  as  complainant,  Judge,  and 
executioner,  and  which  will  cultivate  the  habit  of  self-government  now 
so  predominant  among  the  great  number  of  the  prisoners,  is  a  measure 
greatly  to  be  desired. 

" '  The  Introduction  of  Libraries. — This  was  begun  before  the  adoption 
of  our  present  Constitution.  So  thoroughly  was  this  sanctioned  by  the 
Legislature  that,  during  the  past  twenty-four  years,  appropriations  for 
this  purpose  have  been  made  to  the  amount  of  about  $20,000,  and  the 
agents  were  directed  to  append  to  their  annual  reports  a  catalogue  of 
the  prison  libraries.  This  duty  has  never  been  performed. 

" '  Teaching  the  Prisoners. — The  law  has  provided,  in  this  respect,  that 
the  Chaplains,  besides  religious  services  in  the  chapels,  shall  visit  the 
convicts  in  their  cells,  and  devote  one  hour  each  work-day,  and  the 
afternoon  of  each  Sunday,  to  giving  them  religious  and  moral  instruc- 
tion. So  the  law  has  provided  for  ten  teachers  in  the  prisons,  at  an 
annual  expense  of  $1,500,  to  instruct  the  unlearned  in  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  education.  In  these  respects,  also,  there  is  a  great  waste  of 
the  wise  benevolence  of  the  law,  owing  to  the  absence  of  a  well  digested 
plan  of  instruction;  for  at  present  the  system  of  instruction  is  so  con- 
ducted as  to  amount  to  a  farce. 

" '  Overwork  and  Aid  to  Discharged  Convicts. — The  original  allowance 
to  convicts  on  their  discharge  was  $3  to  each  from  the  prison  funds.  It 
is  now  increased  to  $10;  and  a  practice  has  grown  up,  not  yet  sanctioned 
or  organized  by  law,  of  allowing  the  prisoners  to  earn  money  for  them- 
selves, over  and  above  their  allotted  stents.  This  also  demands  an 
organized  system  to  prevent  an  abuse  of  the  privilege  by  prisoners  and 
contractors,  to  guard  against  unjust  partiality  by  the  officers  in  charge, 
and  to  accord  it  impartially  to  all. 

" '  Commutation  of  Sentence. — There  is  now  prevailing  in  all  our  State 
Prisons  (but  not  in  all  local  ones)  a  measure  of  enabling  the  convicts, 
by  their  own  good  conduct,  to  shorten  their  terms  of  imprisonment.  In 
1863,  out  of  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  prisoners  who 
left  during  the  year,  only  eighty-two  left  by  expiration  of  sentence, 
while  eight  hundred  and  twenty-nine  went  out  by  commutation  under 
the  law.  In  this  there  is  great  danger,  as  well  as  the  actual  existence 
of  partiality  and  injustice,  which  nothing  can  prevent  so  well  as  the 
creation  of  an  intelligent  and  judicious  tribunal.' 

"  Notwithstanding  this  is  the  forty-second  yearly  report  of  the  In- 
spectors to  the  Legislature  of  this  State  on  the  practical  results  of  the 
Pennsylvania  system  of  separate  treatment  of  prisoners,  yet  even  now 
there  are  many,  professing  to  be  possessed  of  general  information  on 
penal  science  as  applied  to  prison  populations  and  systems  of  convict 
punishment,  who  entirely  mistake  the  principles,  and  are  ignorant  of 
the  practical  results,  which  these  reports  exhibit  of  the  Pennsylvania 
system  of  penitentiary  convict  discipline. 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  145 

"  It  is  not  possible  in  this  report  to  condense  the  statements  made  in 
the  forty-one  which  have  preceded  it.  But  justice  to  this  penitentiary, 
at  least,  requires  that  for  the  past  year,  1870,  a  comparison  should  be 
made  of  the  exhibits  of  one  penitentiary  on  each  system  of  convict 
treatment.  The  Charlestown  Penitentiary  of  Massachusetts  is  taken  as 
best  managed  on  the  congregate,  and  this  penitentiary,  on  the  separate 
system,  for  this  purpose. 

"In  the  Massachusetts  Penitentiary  the  total  population  for  1870  is 
given  as  seven  hundred  and  seventy-four.  Out  of  this  number  there 
were  fourteen  deaths,  or  1.81  per  cent. 

"In  this  penitentiary  the  total  population  for  1870  was  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-three.  Out  of  this  number  there  were  twelve  deaths,  or  1.26 
per  cent.  The  difference  in  population  is  as  seven  hundred  and  seventy- 
four  is  to  nine  hundred  and  fifty-three,  or  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
excess  in  this  penitentiary. 

"  Of  the  seven  hundred  and  seventy-four  in  Massachusetts,  sixty-three 
convicts  were  pardoned. 

"  Of  the  nine  hundred  and  fifty-three  in  Pennsylvania,  fourteen  con- 
victs were  pardoned. 

"In  the  Massachusetts  Penitentiary  two  convicts  were  sent  to  the 
Insane  Asylum. 

"In  this  penitentiary  three  convicts  were  of  unsound  mind;  but,  by 
the  treatment  in  the  penitentiary,  are  reported  by  the  Resident  Physi- 
cian, Dr.  Klapp,  to  be  'fully  restored  to  reason.' 

"As  to  the  discipline  or  government  of  the  prisoners  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Penitentiary,  it  is  stated  that  '  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  six 
hundred  men,  some  of  them  unquestionably  bad,  but  more  of  them 
unfortunate;  some  of  them  receiving  the  just  reward  for  crimes  com- 
mitted, whilst  others,  in  their  own  minds,  at  least,  are  suffering  unjustly, 
can  be  managed  and  controlled  without  occasional  friction.' 

"In  this  penitentiary  the  discipline  has  been  maintained;  for  it  ap- 
pears that  '  we  have  had  a  prison  population  of  nine  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  convicts,  many  of  whom  are  among  the  most  desperate  men  who 
have  ever  been  imprisoned  within  these  walls.  Yet  quiet  and  good 
order  have  prevailed,  and  by  the  vigilance  and  active  care  of  the  officers 
no  escape,  even  into  the  yard,  has  been  effected,  and  no  harsh  or  severe 
treatment  has  been  found  needful.' 

"  The  above  extracts,  at  least,  suggest  the  inquiry,  if  congregating  into 
one  mass  those  convicts,  the  control  of  whom  is  described  as  producing 
'  occasional  friction,'  is  the  wisest  plan  for  their  proper  government,  or 
for  the  best  interests  of  society. 

"  In  Massachusetts,  with  seven  hundred  and  seventy-four  convicts  as 
the  total  population  for  1870,  'our  expenses,'  as  given,  were  $122,265  72. 

"In  this  penitentiary,  with  a  total  population  for  1870  of  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  convicts,  our  expenses  were  $98,886  48. 

"  In  the  Massachusetts  Prison  the  recommitments  on  seven  hundred 
and  seventy-four  convicts,  total  population  during  1870,  were  one  hun- 
dred, or  equal  to  13.44  per  cent. 

"  In  this  penitentiary  the  total  recommitments  on  five  thousand  two 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  convicts,  the  whole  number  liable  to  reconvic- 
tion  since  1829,  were  five  hundred  and  thirty-two,  or  for,  say,  forty  years, 
10  per  cent. 

"  It  is  shown  by  this  comparative  statement  that  the  '  separate  system ' 

10D 


146  KEFOKMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

has  triumphantly  vindicated  itself  against  open,  as  well  as  covert  assaults, 
which  ignorance,  prejudice,  or  that  'little  knowledge'  so  dangerous  in 
scientific  studies,  has  from  time  to  time  made  against  ,it. 

"  It  would  no,t  be  presuming  too  much  to  believe  that  you,  gentlemen 
of  the  Legislature,  will  invoke  the  experience  of  this  State  institution 
before  enacting  into  laws  measures  relating  to  convict  discipline,  penal 
jurisprudence,  or  crime-cause,  either  for  prevention  or  punishment. 
Surely  the  knowledge  of  facts,  and  the  practical  working  of  principles 
or  theories  on  penal  science  for  a  period  of  forty  years,  might  be  impor- 
tant to  test  either  new  propositions  or  determine  the  proposed  benefits 
that  the  love  of  change  always  promises  as  the  undoubted  results  thereby 
to  be  attained. 

"  The  necessity  for  legislation  presupposes  an  understanding  of  the 
subject-matter,  and  no  source  of  information  which  is  reliable,  or  experi- 
ence which  is  respectable,  or  knowledge  which  has  been  carefully  and 
intelligently  acquired,  should  be  ignored  while  such  legislation  is  being 
perfected  for  its  purpose.  Your  own  experience,  gentlemen  of  the  Legis- 
lature, makes  this  self-evident. 

"  While  the  primary  purpose  of  this  report  to  the  Legislature  is  to 
comply  with  the  law  directing  it  to  be  made,  yet  the  scope  of  the  direc- 
tion that  besides  the  specific  return,  '  such  information '  may  be  given 
as  may  be  deemed  '  expedient '  for  making  this  '  institution  effectual  in 
the  punishment  and  reformation  of  offenders/  implies  the  expression  of 
such  suggestions  as  more  generally  relate  to  the  subject  of  penal  juris- 
prudence. 

"  It  is  believed  that  the  statistical  information  contained  in  the  tables 
submitted  indicates  the  careful  investigation  of  the  case  of  each  convict, 
and  the  confidence  established  between  the  individual  and  the  prison 
authorities.  This  tends  to  create  in  the  mind  of  the  prisoners  the  im- 
pression that  though  convicts,  human  sympathy  is  not  to  be  denied 
them,  and  that  even  in  prison  there  is  an  interest  felt  in  their  welfare 
and  improvement.  To  some,  this  is  a  first  lesson  in  reformation;  with 
others,  it  awakens  the  good  impressions  of  childhood.  The  influence  on 
all  is  to  facilitate  the  acceptance  of  any  agencies  that  are  designed  for 
reform. 

"  But,  apart  from  these  considerations,  the  contributions  made  in  these 
reports  to  penal  science,  limited  though  they  are  to  the  investigation  of 
the  population  of  this  penitentiary,  it  is  hoped  will  invite  the  Legisla- 
ture to  favorably  consider  the  great  importance  of  authorizing  by  law, 
comprehensive  reports  to  be  obtained  by  a  department  of  the  State  Gov- 
ernment on  those  subjects  which  are  intimately  connected  with  unhealth- 
ful  developments  in  the  social  conditions  of  certain  classes  in  the  whole 
population. 

"  If  such  information  could  be  obtained  and  systematically  arranged, 
it  would  enable  the  Legislature  to  understand  what  legislation  was  most 
necessary  for  the  public  good. 

"  Crime-cause  would  be  better  understood,  prevention  and  punishment 
could  be  so  adjusted  as  to  separate  the  proper  treatment  of  those  who 
most  needed  either,  under  laws  adapted  to  each. 

"  It  might  be  then  ascertained  that  industrial  schools  and  reformatory 
institutions  for  the  first  offenses  of  the  young  offenders  were  more  essen- 
tial than  neglected  or  ill-regulated  prisons  or  more  penitentiaries. 

"  From  such  information,  the  conclusions  might  be  arrived  at,  that 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  147 

county  prisons  on  the  separate  system,  properly  governed  and  admin- 
istered, should  be  the  rule  for  all  large  counties,  rather  than  the  excep- 
tion in  Pennsylvania. 

"  It  could  hardly  be  doubted  that  with  such  reports  carefully  made 
the  Legislature  could  better  determine  how  the  money  of  the  people 
might  be  liberally  and  wisely  expended  for  the  poor,  the  suffering,  the 
idle,  the  vicious,  the  criminal,  the  ignorant,  and  the  unfortunate.  From 
each  section  of  the  State  the  real  condition  of  these  classes  would  be 
presented,  and  then  it  would  be  better  known  how  to  relieve,  restrain, 
prevent,  punish,  and  educate.  It  probably  would  indicate  that  for  all 
classes  a  general  rule  was  impossible.  True  philosophy  would  teach  the 
adaptation  of  individual  treatment  to  individual,  or  special  develop- 
ments of  causes  producing  particular  results. 

"  It  would  more  certainly  enable  a  judicious  classification  to  be  made 
of  remedial,  preventive,  and  punitive  agencies,  and  prevent  the  pauper- 
ization of  individuals  into  an  idle  or  indigent  class,  or  a  more  dreaded 
crime-class.  If  no  other  result  was  reached,  it  would  be  possible  to 
establish  by  law  some  system  by  which  education  in  handicraft  skilled 
labor  could  be  within  the  reach  of  those  of  the  young  who  sought  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  be  approved  and  applauded  by  an  enlightened 
public  opinion. 

"Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  'Commutation  Law'  by 
which  sentences  of  the  convicts  are  shortened  by  their  '  good  conduct ' 
while  under  conviction.  This  plan  has  been  described  as  a  statutory 
recommendation  to  the  Executive  to  discharge  the  convict  before  the 
sentence  inflicted  by  the  judicial  power  expires.  While  it  is  not  a  par- 
don under  the  exercise  of  the  constitutional  prerogative  of  the  Governor, 
it  is  a  device  which,  by  legislation,  controls  the  judicial  and  directs  Execu- 
tive action.  How  wise  such  legislation  may  be  is  no  part  of  the  province 
of  the  Inspectors  to  consider,  much  less  to  determine.  It  is  now  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  Legislature  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  attention  to  the 
precedent  thus  established.  If  the  Legislature  can  enact  a  law  by  which 
a  judicial  sentence  can  be  terminated  before  it  expires  by  its  own  limita- 
tion, then  it  becomes  a  most  important  question  to  consider  if  this  prin- 
ciple cannot  be  applied  for  the  purpose  of  more  effectually  securing  the 
aim  of  punishment  by  imprisonment  in  particular  cases.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  the  exercise  of  the  pardoning  power  is  subject  to  public 
criticism.  There  are  no  doubt  cases  in  which  there  are  grounds  for  this 
animadversion,  but  the  Inspectors  do  not  desire  to  express  any  opinion 
on  cases  of  which  they  have  no  direct  knowledge  from  their  official  rela- 
tions with  the  prisoner. 

"The  comparison  hereinbefore  made  between  the  pardons  granted  by 
Massachusetts.  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania,  shows  that  in  this  State 
Executive  clemency  has  been  very  sparingly  exercised  on  convicts  in  this 
penitentiary. 

"  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  there  are  now  in  this  institution  several 
convicts  who  are  fully  entitled  to  pardon,  if  the  purpose  of  their  punish- 
ment was  to  qualify  them  for  restoration  to  liberty,  with  benefit  to  them- 
selves and  advantage  to  society. 

"  To  reach  these  cases  is  difficult  of  accomplishment  under  the  present 
system.  If  a  pardon  is  asked,  then  the  Inspectors  may  be  regarded  as 
exceeding  the  line  of  their  duty,  and  their  action  misunderstood  or  mis- 
construed; or  they  might  be  subjected  to  applications  from  unworthy 


148  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

persons;  or  the  Executive  might  fail  to  appreciate  their  motives.  Nev- 
ertheless, these  cases  exist;  and  continuing  in  prison  those  who  have 
been  brought  within  the  effects  of  punishment,  and  over  whom  it  has 
exercised  all  the  influences  designed  by  law  and  justice,  is  of  very  doubt- 
ful propriety.  It  is  imprisonment  for  no  purpose.  The  example,  the 
prevention  of  crime,  as  they  are  supposed  to  be  reached  by  a  conviction 
of  the  guilty,  has  been  eected  by  such  conviction  and  the  infliction  of 
the  punishment.  The  only  remaining  purpose  of  the  law  which  this 
punishment  proposed  has  been  produced.  Society  has  been  protected; 
the  example  has  been  made;  those  who  are  intended  to  be  warned  have 
had  their  warning;  and  the  individual  who  is  punished  is  now  alone 
to  be  considered.  If  this  punishment  has  caused  him  to  repent  of  his 
wickedness,  and  determine,  in  so  far  as  he  can,  to  reform,  then  his  liberty 
is  more  a  right  than  a  favor,  for  longer  incarceration  is  useless  to  him, 
and  society  gains  nothing  thereby.  That  these  are  the  well  considered 
opinions  of  the  Inspectors  will  appear  from  the  following  extracts  from 
their  reports  to  the  Legislature. 

"  From  the  report  for  the  year  1852  the  following  extract  is  taken: 

" '  The  Inspectors  cannot  close  this  report  without  again  briefly  calling 
the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly  to  the  subject  of  revising  the 
Penal  Code  so  as  to  shorten  the  minimum  period  of  confinement  affixed 
to  certain  crimes.  The  daily  observation  of  the  effects  of  separate  and 
solitary  confinement,  with  the  influences  connected  with  it  in  this  peni- 
tentiary, have  fully  convinced  them  that  a  much  greater  degree  of  good 
would  be  achieved  by  shortening  most  of  the  sentences  for  first  offenses, 
and  particularly  those  of  all  young  offenders.  For  this  latter  class  a  few 
months'  confinement,  or  a  year  at  most,  would  produce  in  general  vastly 
more  salutary  effects  than  longer  terms.  The  Inspectors  are  gratified  to 
know  that  throughout  the  Eastern  District  of  the  State  this  fact  has 
become  apparent  to  most  of  the  judicial  tribunals,  and  is  acted  upon  to 
the  limits  of  the  law.  Should  this  disposition  become  general,  and  a 
larger  discretion  be  given  by  law,  it  would  remove,  in  a  great  measure, 
the  necessity  that  is  now  often  believed  to  exist  for  the  exercise  of  the 
pardoning  power.' 

"The  Pennsylvania  system  is  best  described  as  the  individual  treatment 
of  convicts,  as  contrasted  with  that  in  other  States,  which  is  the  congre- 
gate or  class  treatment.  This  distinction  is  important  while  considering 
the  views  now  under  discussion. 

"Again,  in  the  report  for  1853  it  is  remarked: 

" '  The  Inspectors  have  again  to  remark  on  the  subject  of  the  duration 
of  sentences  inflicted  upon  juvenile  offenders.  It  is  with  regret  the 
Inspectors  find  that,  of  the  prisoners  admitted  during  the  year  1853, 
there  are  twenty-two  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  forty-eight 
under  twenty-five  years  of  age.  The  Inspectors  are  of  opinion  that  in 
cases  of  first  conviction  of  minors,  or  those  of  immature  age,  unless  for 
crimes  of  the  most  aggravated  character,  a  short  term  of  imprisonment 
is  of  far  greater  benefit  to  the  individual  than  one  which  is  calculated  to 
punish  beyond  the  period  when  moral  influences  have  awakened  in  the 
heart  strong  feelings  of  repentance  and  a  desire  to  reform.  Evil  associ- 
ates, bad  example,  and  a  want  of  proper  parental  care  and  watchfulness, 
admonition,  and  control,  lead  the  young  into  crimes.  When,  therefore, 
imprisoned  as  a  punishment,  the  young  convict  is  brought  to  feel,  prob- 
ably for  the  first  time,  the  truth  of  the  proverb,  that  the  way  of  the 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  149 

transgressor  is  hard,  then  it  is  that  the  most  judicious  counsel  and 
advice  induces  the  most  decided  improvement.  It  is  believed  that  if  in 
such  instances  the  prisoner  were  set  at  liberty,  a  revolution  would  be 
effected  in  his  morals  and  habits,  and  a  new  career  would  be  sought 
after  for  his  future  life.  The  Inspectors  make  these  suggestions  in  the 
hope  that  good  may  result  from  their  careful  consideration.' 

"In  the  report  for  the  year  1854,  the  Inspectors  thus  speak  on  this 
interesting  subject: 

" '  The  Inspectors  again  feel  it  their  duty  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
Legislature  to  the  length  of  sentences  inflicted  for  first  offenses,  and  also 
on  young  offenders.  It  is  no  longer  a  question  that  severity  in  punish- 
ment is  no  prevention  of  crime;  neither  does  severity  of  punishment 
produce  the  desired  effect  upon  the  offender.  The  causes  of  crime  should 
be  more  fully  investigated  after  a  conviction,  and  have  a  potent  influence 
in  determining  the  duration  of  the  punishment.  There  is  a  period  in 
the  history  of  every  criminal's  punishment  when  his  liberation  would 
most  benefit  him,  and  hence  society  would  gain,  by  the  improvement 
afforded  in  reclaiming  an  offender.  Those  whose  constant  intercourse 
with  convicts  enables  them  to  form  an  opinion  upon  the  subject,  will 
admit  that  such  periods  occur,  when  most  decided  advantage  would 
result  from  the  prisoner's  liberation.  One  mode,  to  be  sure  a  most  im- 
perfect one,  to  effect  this  object,  is  to  shorten  the  sentence,  as  much  as  a 
proper  regard  to  the  interests  of  society  would  justify,  in  all  cases  of 
first  convictions  and  convictions  of  young  offenders.  The  Inspectors 
feel  the  force  of  these  views,  and  they  have  ventured  again  to  invoke 
legislative  attention  to  the  subject.  This  is  not  the  occasion  to  suggest 
any  plan  to  modify  and  improve  the  present  laws  upon  this  subject; 
but  it  is  hoped  that  the  time  will  come  when  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania will  take  the  important  subject  of  the  present  Penal  Code,  as  it 
relates  to  our  admirable  system  of  penitentiary  punishment,  into  consid- 
eration. Sporadic  reforms  are  worse  than  useless.  Labors  of  those  who 
are  required  to  learn  while  they  attempt  to  teach,  are  vain.  The  famil- 
iarity of  long  experience,  careful  and  earnest  devotion  to  the  subject, 
and  an  interest  in  the  questions  involved,  above  and  beyond  an  interest 
in  self,  are  among  the  qualifications  which  a  proper  reform  in  penal 
jurisprudence  will  require  at  the  hands  of  those  who  undertake  the  task.' 

"From  the  report  for  1860: 

" '  It  will  be  observed  that  the  Inspectors  have  heretofore  refrained 
from  presenting  reforms  in  the  Penal  Code,  in  relation  to  young  crimi- 
nals. It  was  hoped  and  believed,  that  one  of  the  citizens  to  whom  the 
codification  of  the  penal  laws  was  referred,  might  have  been  selected  for 
his  interest  in,  and  ability  to  understand,  the  subject.  If  such  a  selec- 
tion had  been  made,  it  would  have  resulted  beneficially,  by  the  incorpo- 
ration into  the  penal  law  of  a  provision  to  meet  the  class  of  cases  to 
which  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  has  been  called. 

" '  The  Inspectors  do  not  feel  themselves  required,  either  by  law  or 
from  their  official  position,  to  do  more  than  make  such  "  observations  " 
as  they  deem  of  importance  to  the  public,  or  prisoners. 

" '  Lest,  however,  it  might  be  by  some  attributed  to  their  silence  that 
they  have  no  practical  suggestions  to  offer,  they  most  respectfully  sub- 
mit, as  the  substance  for  amendments  to  the  present  law,  the  following 
proposition: 

" '  That  in  all  cases  of  first  conviction  for  crime,  of  minors,  the  term 


150  KEFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

of  imprisonment  shall  be  terminated  by  the  Inspectors  with  the  consent 
of  the  President  Judge  of  the  Court  in  which  such  minor  was  sentenced, 
when  in  their  opinion  the  punishment  has  produced  its  expected  results. 

" '  That  in  all  cases  of  first  conviction  for  crime,  of  persons  between 
twenty-one  and  twenty-five  years  of  age,  the  term  of  imprisonment  shall 
in  like  manner  be  lessened,  as  a  reward  for  good  conduct,  by  the  reduc- 
tion of  three  days  out  of  every  thirty  after  the  first  twelve  months  of 
imprisonment. 

" '  That  in  all  cases  of  first  conviction  for  crime,  of  minors,  the  jury 
trying  the  case  shall  find  by  their  verdict  if  the  father  of  the  minor  (he 
being  alive  and  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  process  of  the  Common- 
wealth) was  negligent  and  derelict  in  his  parental  duties  toward  said 
minor,  and  on  so  finding,  the  Court  shall  cause  said  father  to  be  held  to 
pay  the  costs  to  the  Commonwealth  of  said  trial. 

" '  The  Inspectors  have  ventured  respectfully  to  make  these  suggestions, 
with  the  view  to  remedy  the  evil  which  has  been  thus  authentically 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly. 

" '  It  will  not  be  denied  that  the  necessity  for  legislation  is  most  seri- 
ous. That  it  is  increasing,  a  superficial  examination  of  the  facts  herein 
set  out  cannot  fail  to  teach  the  observer.  That  the  want  of  parental 
control  is  demoralizing  a  large  and  increasing  number  of  our  youths, 
the  consequences  are  manifest.  The  minor  is  ungoverned,  wayward, 
vagabond,  vicious,  contaminated,  contaminating,  and  convict.  The 
moralist,  as  well  as  the  Christian,  must  deplore  such  causes  and  conse- 
quences. 

" '  It  is  believed  that  the  most  unconcerned  for  the  welfare  of  society 
and  its  constituents  would  hardly  agree  that  penitentiary  discipline 
should  take  the  place  of  primary  parental  teachings  and  supervisory 
restraint. 

" '  The  least  benevolent  will  fully  consent  to  the  principle,  as  one  of 
justice,  that  the  child  only  should  not  be  punished  for  its  parent's  neglect 
or  disregard  of  his  duties. 

" 'If  in  either  case  society  stands  in  the  place  of  the  parent,  magnan- 
imity and  mercy  both  plead  that  the  most  reformatory  and  beneficent 
influences  should  be  extended  to  such  unfortunates.' 

"In  the  report  for  1867,  the  Inspectors  use  the  following  language: 

" '  It  is  of  vital  importance  that  the  individualities  and  characteristics 
and  surroundings  of  the  accused  should  be  ascertained  on  his  trial,  and 
their  just  consideration  should  be  taken  fully  into  the  judicial  deter- 
mination of  the  punishment.  Arbitrary  or  merely  conventional  sen- 
tences, operating  on  classes  not  persons,  are  unphilosophical,  and  often 
unjust,  both  to  the  individual  and  the  community.  Again,  take  the 
crime  of  larceny.  It  should  be  divided  into  degrees.  The  highest,  and 
each  in  sequence  to  the  lowest,  should  be  determined  at  the  trial,  from 
the  facts  and  circumstances  and  the  characteristics  of  the  accused.  To 
determine  beforehand,  when  framing  the  indictment,  the  degree  of  crim- 
inality, before  the  accused  can  explain  or  defend  his  acts,  is  at  war  with 
the  principle  which  seeks  to  protect  the  accused  till  he  is  found  beyond 
the  operation  of  the  presumptions  of  innocence.  This  system  adopted 
as  to  all  crimes  or  offenses  has  the  advantage  of  placing  the  accused  in 
the  exact  position  in  which  his  acts  place  him,  not  that  which  the  defi- 
nition or  description  of  a  class  of  acts  would  compel  him  to  occupy 
without  the  explanatory  benefits  he  alone  could  produce.  Again,  it 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS.  151 

would  not  make  individuals  more  criminal  than  they  really  are,  and 
thus  often  unwisely  add  to  the  crime-class  those  who  would  else  never 
be  associated  with  it.  The  injurious  effects  of  any  system  which  aug- 
ments the  number  of  convicts,  placing  on  them  the  distinguishing  mark 
of  enemies  to  public  safety,  becomes  more  and  more  apparent  as  popula- 
tion increases.  The  true  principle  of  legislation  on  this  branch  of  the 
subject  is  to  make  few  acts  of  individual  crimes,  and  as  few  members  of 
society  criminals  as  a  due  regard  for  the  safety  of  life,  rights,  and  prop- 
erty will  justify.  The  more  simple  the  crime  code,  the  more  it  is  ren- 
dered flexible  in  individual  application;  the  less  rigorous  and  unbending; 
the  greater  opportunity  to  take  the  principles  of  the  common  law  as 
preferable  to  those  of  a  statute,  and  the  greater  the  responsibilities  that 
are  placed  on  the  judiciary  and  taken  from  the  law-making  power — in 
all  these  respects  the  greater  and  more  substantial  are  the  benefits  which 
society  secures.  It  is  thus  that  society  speaks  its  voice,  under  the 
restraints  of  law,  in  each  particular  case. 

" '  Following  this  view  as  to  the  code,  we  come  to  consider  the  punish- 
ment of  crimes.  By  the  present  practice  there  is  really  no  standard. 
The  offense  too  often  determines  the  sentence,  because  no  opportunity 
is  permitted  to  investigate  all  the  circumstances  of  each  case;  nor  is 
any  authority  granted  for  that  judicial  discretion  which  should  always 
be  an  element  in  the  official  action  of  the  ministers  of  justice.  The 
maximum  and  the  minimum  of  the  term  of  punishment  are  the  only 
judicial  guides,  and  these  regulate  the  judgment  of  Judges  who,  from 
the  trial  of  the  issue  of  fact,  are  informed  by  the  verdict  of  the  guilt  of 
the  accused.  Every  offender  is  actuated  by  different  motives,  influenced 
by  various  causes  of  crime;  his  peculiar  position  as  an  individual  in 
society,  his  lack  of  advantages,  his  associations,  his  mental,  moral,  per- 
sonal disabilities,  all  his  individualities  are  hid  from  view,  because  the 
present  system  only  presents  one  fact  to  be  ascertained.  The  interests 
of  society  demand  that  crime  be  punished,  and  crime  prevented;  beyond 
that  it  has  no  other  interest,  so  far  as  a  particular  offense  is  concerned. 
But  growing  out  of  the  determination  of  that  fact  are  vastly  important 
considerations  to  the  very  best  interests  of  society.  For  what  degree  of 
crime,  for  what  period  of  time  the  guilty  is  to  be  sentenced,  the  motives 
and  causes  that  induced  him  to  violate  law,  the  effect  upon  the  indi- 
vidual directly  and  on  society  indirectly,  are  consequences  which  must 
result  to  society  finally,  to  prejudice  it  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  if  the 
guilty  has  been  punished  without  regard  to  these  questions.  There  is 
no  more  dangerous  element  in  social  condition  than  the  feeling  which 
harshness  and  injustice  produce  in  the  administration  of  justice.  The 
first  of  the  dangers  is  the  unwillingness  to  convict  for  crime,  or  the 
anxiety  in  the  minds  of  juries  to  except  the  case  from  the  operations  of 
these  influences.  Vibrating  between  the  extremes  of  unwillingness  to 
convict,  and  the  prompt  conviction,  in  the  latter  case  to  maintain  the 
law  by  sporadic  firmness  in  the  administration  of  justice,  creates  a  dis- 
respect for  the  law.  When  one  is  guilty  of  a  less  crime  than  that  for 
which  he  is  indicted,  but  escapes  because  of  the  arbitrary  or  fixed  defi- 
nition of  acts,  as  crimes,  which  the  trial  shows  the  accused  has  not 
made  himself  technically  amenable  to,  there  is  left  on  the  public  mind 
a  feeling  of  insecurity  and  a  distrust  of  public  justice.  So  on  either 
hand  the  present  system  convicts  a  certain  portion  of  offenders,  and 
society  has  to  be  satisfied  that  all  the  guilty  do  not  escape.  If,  however, 


152  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

the  system  of  jurisprudence  was  in  harmony  with  the  views  expressed 
as  to  the  code,  these  defects  would  probably  be  remedied. 

" '  By  the  judicious  subdivision  into  degrees,  and  the  consequent  reduc- 
tion of  the  higher  grades  of  crime,  the  assimilation  of  the  offense  to  the 
acts  and  motives  of  the  accused,  the  certainty  of,  as  well  as  a  wise  dis- 
crimination in  the  punishment,  the  diminution  of  the  number  of  indi- 
viduals united  with  the  crime-class,  the  better  would  it  be  for  all  the 
great  interests  associated  in  and  protected  by  penal  legislation.' 

"  That  some  system  should  be  made  lawful  by  which  the  opinion  of 
the  Inspectors,  and  that  of  the  chief  officers  of  the  penitentiary,  as  to 
the  propriety  of  discharging  prisoners  deserving  liberation,  would  be 
effective  in  producing  their  discharge  by  competent  authority,  is  most 
desirable.  The  Inspectors  respectfully  call  this  subject  to  the  attention 
of  the  Legislature.  It  may  not  meet  with  favor  until  a  thorough  inves- 
tigation of  the  question  is  made,  free  from  those  objections  which  a  first 
impression  is  most  likely  to  suggest." 

The  following  is  the  bill  of  fare: 

Monday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Stewed  mutton. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 

Tuesday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Bologna  sausage  and  bread. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 
. 

Wednesday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Beef  and  soup. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 

Thursday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Stewed  beef. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 

Friday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Stewed  mutton. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 

Saturday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Mutton  and  mutton  soup. 
Supper. — Tea  and  coffee. 

Sunday. 

Breakfast. — Coffee  and  bread. 
Dinner. — Baked  potpie. 
Supper. — Tea  and  bread. 


REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  153 

In  addition  to  these,  vegetables  when  in  season  are  supplied  at  din- 
ner, but  breakfast  and  supper  remain  the  same  during  the  entire  year. 
During  the  winter  months  sauerkraut  is  supplied  once  or  twice  a  week. 
No  canned  goods  are  used.  In  the  spring,  onions  and  tomatoes  are  sup- 
plied. 

The  Warden  receives  a  salary  of  $4,500  per  annum;  the  Clerk,  $2,000; 
the  Moral  Instructor,  $1,500;  and  the  Physician,  $1,500.  The  Overseers 
or  Guards  are  paid  according  to  their  term  of  service,  receiving  for  the 
first  five  years,  $800  per  annum;  second  five  years,  $900  per  annum; 
third  five  years,  $1,000  per  annum;  fourth  five  years,  $1,050  per  annum; 
fifth  five  years,  $1,100  per  annum;  thirty  years  and  over,  $1,200  per 
annum. 

MASSACHUSETTS    STATE    PRISON. 

In  Massachusetts,  the  Commissioners  of  Prisons  are  five  in  number; 
two  of  whom  are  required  to  be  women.  They  hold  office  for  the  term 
of  five  years,  and  are  appointed  by  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  Council.  They  receive  no  compensation,  but  are  allowed 
their  personal  expenses  while  engaged  in  official  duties. 

They  have  the  general  supervision  of  the  State  Prison  and  of  the 
reformatory  prison  for  women,  and  may  make  all  necessary  rules  not 
repugnant  to  law,  for  the  direction  of  the  officers  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duties;  the  government,  employment,  discipline,  and  instruction  of  the 
convicts.  They  also  have  power  to  make  such  rules  in  regard  to  the  food, 
clothing,  and  bedding  of  the  convicts,  as  the  health,  well  being,  and  cir- 
cumstances of  each  convict  may  require.  The  law,  however,  requires 
that  all  food,  clothing,  beds,  and  bedding  shall  be  of  good  quality  and 
in  sufficient  quantity  for  the  sustenance  and  comfort  of  the  convicts,  and 
the  bedding  shall  include  mattresses,  blankets,  and  pillows.  After  the 
rules  have  been  established,  they  are  to  be  laid  before  the  Governor  and 
Council,  who  may  approve,  annul,  or  modify  them.  One  or  more  of  the 
Commissioners  must  visit  the  State  Prison  and  reformatory  prison  for 
women  at  least  once  in  each  month,  and  a  majority  of  the  Board  must 
visit  these  prisons  once  in  three  months,  and  oftener  if  they  consider  it 
to  be  necessary,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  their  books  and  manage- 
ment, and  ascertaining  whether  the  laws  and  rules  are  duly  observed, 
the  officers  competent  and  faithful,  and  the  convicts  properly  governed 
and  employed.  The  full  Board  are  required  to  visit  these  prisons  semi- 
annually,  and  make  a  thorough  examination  of  them. 

They  must  report  immediately  to  the  Governor  and  Council  all  viola- 
tions of  law  and  omissions  of  duty  which  come  to  their  knowledge,  on 


154  REFORMATORY   AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

the  part  of  the  Warden,  Chaplain,  Physician  of  the  State  Prison,  or  on 
the  part  of  the  Superintendent,  Chaplain,  or  Physician  of  the  reforma- 
tory prison  for  women.  Every  officer  of  the  prison  who  holds  his  office 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  Warden  and  Commissioners,  who  is  found  to  be 
unfaithful  or  incompetent,  or  who  uses  intoxicating  liquor  as  a  beverage, 
the  law  declares  shall  be  immediately  removed,  and  in  the  event  of  a 
disagreement  between  the  Warden  and  the  Commissioners  relating  to 
the  removal  of  any  officer  or  employe,  the  subject  may  be  referred  to  the 
Governor  and  Council,  who  may  make  such  removal. 

The  Warden,  Chaplain,  and  Physician  and  Surgeon  of  the  State 
Prison  are  appointed  by  the  Governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  Council,  and  hold  their  offices  during  the  Executive's  pleasure.  The 
Warden  appoints  the  Deputy  Warden  and  all  other  officers,  subject  to 
the^approval  [of  the  Commissioners,  and  they  hold  thir  offices  during 
the  pleasure  of  the  Warden  and  Commissioners.  The  Warden  has  the 
right  to  appeal  to  the  Governor  in  case  there  is  a  disagreement  between 
him  and  the  Commissioners  concerning  the  removal  of  any  officer,  and, 
after  reasonable  notice  to  the  Commissioners  and  a  hearing,  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  may  make  the  removal. 

The  Warden  receives  an  annual  salary  of  $3,500;  the  Chaplain,  $2,000; 
the  Physician  and  Surgeon,  $1,000;  the  Deputy  Warden,  $2,000;  the 
Clerk  of  the  Turnkeys,  $1,200;  each  Watchman  who  has  been  in  the 
service  of  the  prison  for  less  than  three  years,  $800;  each  Watchman 
who  has  been  in  the  service  for  three  years  and  less  than  six  years, 
$1,000;  and  every  Watchman  who  has  been  in  the  service  for  six  years, 
$1,200. 

No  officer  is  allowed  to  receive  any  other  perquisite,  reward,  or  emol- 
ument, except  there  is  allowed  to  the  Warden  and  Deputy  Warden 
sufficient  house-room,  with  fuel  and  lights  for  themselves  and  their 
families.  The  Warden  supplies  his  table  at  his  own  expense. 

Neither  the  Warden  nor  any  officer  of  the  prison  is  permitted  to  be 
employed  in  any  business  for  private  emolument,  or  which  does  not 
pertain  to  the  duties  of  his  office.  All  officers,  excepting  the  Clerk, 
Physician,  and  Chaplain,  are  required  to  wear,  while  on  duty,  such  uni- 
form, cap,  or  badge  as  may  be  from  time  to  time  prescribed  by  the 
Warden  and  Commissioners. 

The  bond  of  the  Warden  is  $20,000,  and  the  Warden  and  Deputy 
Warden  are  compelled  to  reside  constantly  within  the  precincts  of  the 
prison. 

The  law  provides  that  the  Warden  may,  with  the  consent  of  the  Com- 
missioners, cause  a  Sabbath-school  to  be  maintained  in  the  prison  for 


REFORMATORY    AND    PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  155 

the  instruction  of  the  convicts  in  their  religious  duties,  and  permit  such 
persons  as  they  consider  suitable  to  attend  the  school  as  instructors. 
The  Warden  is  authorized  to  maintain  schools  for  the  instruction  of 
the  prisoners  at  such  times,  excepting  Sunday,  as  he,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Commissioners,  may  fix  from  time  to  time,  and  under  such  rules 
and  regulations  as  the  Commissioners  may  prescribe,  and  he  is  permitted 
to  expend  for  such  purposes  a  sum  not  exceeding  $2,000  a  year. 

The  laws  of  the  State  provide  that  convicts  sentenced  to  the  punish- 
ment of  hard  labor  in  the  prison  shall  be  constantly  employed  for  the 
benefit  of  the  State,  but  no  convict  shall  be  employed  in  engraving  of 
any  kind;  that  the  Warden,  with  the  consent  of  one  or  more  of  the 
Commissioners,  may,  for  such  time  as  may  be  thought  necessary  to 
produce  penitence,  confine  to  solitary  labor  obstinate  and  refractory 
convicts. 

Contract  labor  is  forbidden,  and  the  law  prohibits  the  use  of  new 
machinery  other  than  such  as  may  be  propelled  by  hand  or  foot  power. 

A  General  Superintendent  of  Prisons  is  appointed  by  the  Governor, 
and  he  determines,  in  connection  with  the  Warden,  the  industries  to  be 
pursued. 

The  number  of  prisoners  employed  at  the  same  time  in  a  single 
industry  cannot  exceed  one  twentieth  of  the  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed in  such  industry  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  according  to  the 
classification  given  by  the  last  census  preceding  such  employment, 
unless  a  number  in  excess  of  this  proportion  is  required  to  produce 
materials  to  be  supplied  in  State  and  county  institutions. 

Among  the  various  industries  carried  on  are  brushmaking,  harness- 
making,  boot  and  shoe  making,  manufacture  of  tinware,  and  gilding. 

The  rations  for  the  convicts  are  as  follows,  although  varied  somewhat 
by  the  Warden,  who,  upon  holidays  and  at  other  times  at  his  discretion, 
introduces  articles  not  named  herein: 

Sunday. 

Breakfast. — Rice  and  milk,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 

Dinner. — Baked  fish  or  baked  meat,  white  bread,  fruit,  and  tea. 

Monday. 

Breakfast. — Cornmeal  and  milk,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Corned  beef  and  vegetables. 
Supper. — White  bread  and  tea. 

Tuesday. 

Breakfast. — Meat  hash,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Baked  beans  and  graham  bread. 
Supper. — Corned  beef,  white  bread,  and  tea. 


156  REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS. 

Wednesday. 

Breakfast. — Oatmeal  and  milk,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Beef  soup,  potatoes,  and  white  bread. 
Supper. — White  bread  and  tea. 

Thursday. 

Breakfast. — Meat  hash,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Baked  beans  and  brown  bread. 
Supper. — Corned  beef,  white  bread,  and  tea. 

Friday. 

Breakfast. — Mush  and  milk,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Fish,  potatoes,  and  white  bread. 
Supper. — White  bread  and  tea. 

Saturday. 

Breakfast. — Meat  hash,  white  bread,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Beef  soup,  potatoes,  and  white  bread. 
Supper. — Corned  beef,  white  bread,  and  tea. 

The  hospital  rations  are: 

Sunday. 

Breakfast. — Baked  beans  and  pancakes,  bread  and  butter,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Roast  veal,  mashed  potatoes,  bread  and  butter. 
Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

Monday. 

Breakfast. — Beefsteak,  etc. 

Dinner. — Roast  beef  or  fish,  potatoes,  etc. 

Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

Tuesday. 

Breakfast. — Hot  biscuit  and  coffee. 

Dinner. — Boiled  dinner,  etc. 

Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

Wednesday. 

Breakfast. — Corned  beef,  mush  or  beans,  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Broiled  steak,  baked  potatoes,  pudding. 
Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

Thursday. 

Breakfast. — Hash,  rice  and  milk,  etc. 
Dinner. — Roast  beef  or  fried  liver. 
Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 


REFORMATORY   AND   PENAL    INSTITUTIONS.  157 

Friday. 

Breakfast. — Fish  balls  and  fried  pork,  etc. 
Dinner. — Vegetable  soup,  bread  and  butter. 
Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

Saturday. 

Breakfast. — Hot  biscuit  and  coffee. 
Dinner. — Beefsteak  and  onions,  etc. 
Supper. — Toast  and  tea,  mush  and  milk. 

The  above  list  is  subject  to  variations  during  the  different  seasons  of 
the  year. 

CONCLUSION. 

I  have  endeavored  to  convey  a  practical  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  best  managed  reform  schools  are  conducted,  and  hope  that  the  infor- 
mation submitted  will  be  of  service  to  the  Board.  I  have  refrained 
from  any  remarks  on  abstract  questions,  dealing  only  with  the  practical 
side  of  the  management  of  these  institutions.  The  portion  of  this  report 
devoted  to  State  Prisons  has  been  made  longer  than  perhaps  was  neces- 
sary, but  it  was  deemed  best  to  present  somewhat  fully  what  I  had 
gleaned  on  this  subject,  in  the  hope  that  it  would  prove  not  altogether 
unprofitable  in  the  superintendence  of  the  institutions  of  which  the 
Board  have  charge. 

I  was  received  with  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy  by  all  whom  I 
met,  and  desire  to  thank  them  one  and  all  for  the  assistance  they  have 
rendered.  I  desire  also  to  express  my  obligation  to  the  Board  for  the 
honor  they  have  conferred  upon  me  in  selecting  me  to  make  this  inves- 
tigation, and  hope  that  the  trust  thus  imposed  has  been  satisfactorily 
discharged. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

ROBERT  T.  DEVLIN, 

President  of  the  State  Board  of  Prison  Directors  of  California. 


INDEX. 


ALLEGHENY—  PAGE. 

Western  Penitentiary 97 

BILL  OF  FARE— See  Rations. 

BUILDINGS  FOR  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL 41 

CASSIDY,  M.  J. 

Views  of,  on  indeterminate  sentences 46 

CINCINNATI  HOUSE  OF  REFUGE 29 

CONNECTICUT  STATE  REFORM  SCHOOL 8 

COTTAGE  PLAN  OF  MANAGEMENT 5 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA— 

Reform  School  of 37 

ELMIRA  REFORMATORY 45 

EXPENSES— 

Boys'  Industrial  School  of  Ohio 8 

Connecticut  State  Reform  School 9 

Nebraska  Industrial  School 22 

Illinois  State  Reform  School 27 

Indiana  Reform  School 29 

Indiana  Reformatory  Institution  for  Women 55 

Ohio  Penitentiary 57,64 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary 66-74 

Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania 97 

Eastern  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania 153 

Massachusetts  State  Prison ' 154 

HOWE,  G.  E. 

Recommendations  of 8 

Views  of 10 

HUNTINGDON  REFORMATORY 43 

ILLINOIS— 

State  Reform  School 25 

State  Penitentiary 66 

INDETERMINATE  SENTENCES- 

Huntingdon 43 

Elmira 45 

Cassidy,  M.  J.,  views  of 46 

Warner,  Charles  Dudley,  views  of 48 

Massachusetts,  report  of  Prison  Commissioners  of 53 

Ohio,  law  of 57 

INDIANA— 

State  Reform  School  for  Boys 28 

Reformatory  Institution  for  Women  and  Girls 55 

INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOLS— See  Reform  Schools. 

JOLIET— 

Penitentiary  at 66 


160  INDEX. 

KEARNEY—  PAGE- 

Industrial  School  at -        21 

LANCASTER— 

Boys'  Industrial  School  at 

LYMAN  SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS 36 

MASSACHUSETTS- 

Lyman  School  for  Boys '- 36 

State  Prison 153 

MERIDEN— 

Reform  School  at 

MINNESOTA— 

State  Reform  School - 40 

MORGANZA— 

Reform  School  at 31 

NEBRASKA— 

Industrial  School  at 21 

OHIO- 

Industrial  School  of ' 6 

Penitentiary  of 57 

Indeterminate  sentence 57 

PAROLE— 

System  in  Ohio 62 

PENNSYLVANIA— 

House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia. 33 

Industrial  Reformatory  at  Huntingdon 43 

Penitentiary  for  Eastern  District .. 99 

Reform  School 31 

Western  Penitentiary 97 

PER  CAPITA— See  Expenses. 

PHILADELPHIA- 

House  of  Refuge  at , 33 

Eastern  Penitentiary 99 

PLAINF1ELD— 

Reform  School  for  Boys 28 

PONTIAC— 

State  Reform  School  at 25 

PRISONS— 

Ohio  Penitentiary 57 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary 66 

Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania 97 

State  Penitentiary  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania 99 

Massachusetts  State  Prison 153 

RATIONS— 

Ohio  Penitentiary 65 

Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania _ 97 

State  Penitentiary  for  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania 152 

Massachusetts  State  Prison 155 

REFORMATORIES— 

Huntingdon 43 

Elmira 45 

Indianapolis 55 


INDEX.  161 

REFORM  SCHOOLS—  PAGE. 

Different  plans  of  management - -.-  5 

Cottage  or  family  plan 5 

Ohio,  Boys'  Industrial  School  of • 6 

Connecticut,  State  Reform  School  of 8 

Nebraska,  State  Industrial  School  of 21 

Illinois  State  Reform  School - 25 

Indiana  Reform  School  for  Boys .  28 

Cincinnati  House  of  Refuge 29 

Pennsylvania  Reform  School 31 

Pennsylvania  House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia --  33 

Massachusetts,  Lyman  School  for  Boys 36 

District  of  Columbia  Reform  School 37 

Minnesota  State  Reform  School 40 

Buildings 41 

Superintendent 42 

SALARIES— 

Boys'  Industrial  School  of  Ohio 7 

Illinois  State  Reform  School .-. 28 

Indiana  Reform  School  for  Boys 29 

Pennsylvania  Reform  School - - 33 

Lyman  School  for  Boys - 36 

Reform  School,  District  of  Columbia 38 

House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia 39 

Ohio  Penitentiary 57,64 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary 74 

Western  Penitentiary  of  Pennsylvania <. 97 

Penitentiary  for  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania 153 

Massachusetts  State  Prison 154 

ST.  PAUL  REFORM  SCHOOL 40 

STATE  PRISONS— See  Prisons. 
SUPERINTENDENT— 

Qualifications  of - 42 

WASHINGTON- 

Reform  School  at -* 37 

WESTBO  ROUGH— 

Lyman  School  for  boys --- 36 

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